Love In The Fast Lane
by Breech Loader
Summary: When Shadow takes Amy on a date in Sonic's place, it sparks off something far more serious than making Sonic look like a deadbeat - something that burns hotter and moves faster than any of them could have expected. Shadow's way out of his depth, Amy's caught off her guard, and as for Sonic... he'll have a green-eyed monster to fight before it's over. ShadAmySonic.
1. Love Like You

Love In The Fast Lane

By Breech Loader and The Pinkest Flower

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Breech: I kind of wrote this story before, and it started as a one-shot, which was the worst part about it. The plot is roughly the same but I don't know how different it will turn out. Let's just take it one chapter at a time.

The plot? Well, it's pretty blatant ShadAmy - I mean, ShadAmy is smeared over absolutely everything, if you don't like ShadAmy this is _not_ the story for you - but it also investigates just what our favourite blue narcissist would do if his number one fan were to suddenly turn her affections elsewhere - especially considering cooties season is over.

Minor note - they wear all clothes. I'm not into clothes porn but let's just say we're all wearing our big-boy pants.

Apart from solid make-outs and the like, there's some real chunkers of chapters in this story. Just figured

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Chapter One: Love Like You

Up until this moment, Shadow had been smirking at the thought of running Sonic's credit card into the ground tonight. "I can't just take Amy on a date," he'd said, "Go in my place, she can't tell the difference," he'd said, "Saving the world is more important," he'd said.

It had seemed like a wonderful opportunity. Show up the Blue Blockhead for the irresponsible jerk he really was, by renting a limo, booking a hellishly expensive restaurant, renting a tux, and getting white roses and chocolate. It didn't seem so hilarious when he was actually facing her apartment door, gifts in hand. The hall felt almost as empty as space and he was definitely getting the nagging feeling that Amy would not be as happy to see him as she would be Sonic. He summoned up his guts for his first date with Amy Rose Blossom, and knocked on the door.

Amy had been so excited for her date with Sonic. She had loved him for so long and after years of being rejected, he was finally willing to give her a chance. She'd dressed up, deciding to wear something fancy, wanting to look good for Sonic. She heard the knock at her door and grabbed her purse, heading to the door.

"Shadow?...What are you doing here?" she questioned, confused to see him there.

"Ah-heh..." Shadow was silenced for a few seconds. He'd seen Amy at her 18th birthday party last week - not much of her, since he'd spent most of his time at the buffet feeding his metabolism, "Er..." Since when had she become so... attractive? He shook it off. She was dressed up for Sonic, not him. "You, uh..." he stopped, "Sonic's not coming," he tugged at his tie, "He... he's busy saving the world. So..." Oh Maria, when did it get so damn hot around here, "So I'm here to entertain you for the night." He offered the roses and chocolates. After all, roses and chocolates were what you gave women on first dates, right? "You could always pretend I'm him. Only better."

Amy looked at him with a blank expression while she waited for him to actually speak. Her expression didn't change when she got the answer. Of course, it was too good to be true but this wasn't the first time Sonic hadn't showed up in some way. Could she really be surprised? She took the gifts, "Oh. Thank you." She sat them on her table. Normally she'd be sad or angry even but her expression held no emotion really. She was disappointed but this was so typical of him that she couldn't really muster a reaction. "Well... Let's go then." She didn't really feel motivated to go now but she was ready and he was there. She might as well. She closed the door behind her without enthusiasm.

"Yes, this... well, I know you weren't expecting me, Miss Blossom," he told her, "You look... pink," he settled. He swallowed, trying to gather his confidence, "But you really don't need to be disappointed. After all, there's one thing I can do right now that Sonic certainly can't..." he smirked wickedly, and reached in a pocket, "I can use his credit card..."

He waved the plastic rectangle meaningfully. Then he offered her his arm.

Amy's deadpan expression softened a bit when she noticed his nervousness, "Thank you." She smiled softly at Shadow's clumsy compliment, almost chuckling. She took his arm and walked down the steps with him, picking up her dress a bit as they walked down the steps so that she wouldn't trip on it. "So where are we going tonight?" She questioned, curious about what their plans were.

"Well... it's called the Gilded Lobster," Shadow told her, "Apparently it's very exclusive. But I decided, nothing but the best for the world's most beautiful pink hedgehog..." all these lines had sounded wonderful on the way here. Now they sounded embarrassing. and his cheeks felt hot again. They exited Amy's apartment block, to the sight of a large limousine waiting outside, "The online reviews were high, not that that means anything any more," he reverted to his old cynical self momentarily, as the limo driver held open the door for Amy, "They have live music," he paused, "Do you like seafood? I read that the lobster is particularly expensive."

Amy blushed a little bit from the compliment as she walked with him to the limo. She thought it was kinda cute that he was embarrassed too. She got into the limo when the door was opened for her, giving the driver a brief thanks. "That sounds really nice and yes I do actually." she wasn't allergic so she could eat it, "Really? It must be good then. I think I'll try it." Maybe this night wouldn't be as bad as she thought it would be.

Shadow had money from Sonic for tips, and he put a twenty into the driver's hand for holding it for Amy, before getting in, "I... don't go on many dates," he told her, shuffling slightly in his seat. Personally he'd have preferred to run there, "I do hope I'm not entirely unbearable," he scratched his neck. He'd thought this date would be hilarious. He pulled out a list of conversation topics Rouge had made for him. Nowhere on there was GUN, Maria, or Eggman, "So... you're 18 now," he commented, "It was my seventh birthday last month. Of course, you're legal. Legally I don't exist," he smiled, or tried to.

"I haven't been on a real date until tonight, actually. You're doing fine, don't worry." Amy reassured him, "Seven? Really? Well, happy belated birthday." She hadn't known about that, he'd never mentioned his birthday until now. "What do you mean by you don't exist legally?" she asked.

"Well, I'm an illegal genetic experiment, I was hatched from a tube on a classified Space Colony. I have no parents or official family," Shadow almost groaned. It always came back to that, "And of course GUN sees no reason to give its top agent the same status and rights as an actual person. It means less paperwork," he thought about it, "I suppose I don't celebrate my birthdays because they're meaningless to me. Another year for an immortal half-breed. Let's all eat cake and wave sparklers. Hurrah. Rouge gave me a cupcake with a candle in it. I don't exactly bring the cheer at parties."

"Oh, that must suck. I'm sorry to hear that." She couldn't imagine how that must feel. She had all the same rights as everyone else. She didn't really know what to say except for that. It wasn't exactly an easy topic to give a response that wasn't sympathetic to.

"I suppose it only 'sucks' if you've known anything else," Shadow shrugged, "But it's your birthday, not mine. Enjoyable as it is to put skidmarks on Sonic's credit card, it really ought to be him taking you out. At least he knows how to make conversation. Even if it is mostly about himself..." he chuckled dryly, "You're much too forgiving." The limo pulled up at the restaurant and the driver opened the door. Shadow stepped out and offered a hand to Amy. It was all a little rote, perhaps because he'd looked it all up on the internet, "Why do you put up with his crap?"

Amy shrugged a bit at that "I guess..." It was true that he tended to talk about himself a lot but usually, she ate that up, only feeding his ego further. Amy stepped out and took his hand. "I don't really know... I guess I've liked him for so long that just giving up now would be such a waste." She was getting tired of how Sonic acted but she'd put up with it for so long she felt like she'd waste her time and feelings if she gave up. She'd also feel like a huge failure.

Shadow handed the driver another twenty, "Honestly, he's conceited, arrogant, and as easily tamed as the West Wind," he chuckled, "I can give you all of that!" It had sounded good in his head earlier. Now he felt his cheeks heat up again. He tugged at his tie again as they entered the restaurant.

It really was a nice restaurant. You could even pick your own lobsters, and there was a fish tank set in the far wall. Sonic would have hated this place; it was almost as if they were underwater. The lighting was quite low and romantic, and in one corner there was a small band playing soft music, and a little area to dance, where a couple were waltzing. Shadow didn't know how to dance.

"It... is something of a waste of time, I suppose, to chase somebody who does not want to be caught," he admitted, holding out her chair for her, "Your determination is one of your best traits, Miss Rose. It would be better suited to pursuing a more worthy interest."

Amy giggled a bit at that, finding it funny as she walked into the restaurant with him. She really liked the restaurant, it was so nice. "Hm, I never thought about it that way," she said as she sat down in the chair and thanked him. "Maybe you're right..." Maybe it was time to find someone new. Someone better. She loved him because he was a hero but she'd never considered that just because someone's a hero doesn't mean that they can't be an asshole too.

"Miss Rose... you... you don't think I mean a love interest?" he asked her, "There are more important things in life than love-"

He was interrupted by a waiter coming up and offering them the wine list, "Wine, sir?"

"Oh, of course. The lady and I know nothing about wine at all. What's your most over-priced champagne?" Shadow checked, waving Sonic's credit card gently.

"The Soleanna White is both sparkling, and not for the light of wallet at $4,700," the waiter suggested.

"We'll take two bottles," Shadow told him. As the waiter left, he returned his full attention to Amy, "Surely love isn't so important? It's just... a chemical reaction. That's what Gerald always said," he watched Amy, and suddenly felt very ignorant, "Why would anybody value something so... fleeting?"

"It's one of those things you have to feel for yourself to understand. Anyone can say that love isn't important but they'll feel completely different when they're in love. It's a stronger feeling than you think, trust me." She responded, knowing that it sounded foolish to so desperately pursue and put up with someone all in the name of love, but love is very strong and not that easy to ignore.

"Hmph," Shadow crossed his arms, "I suppose I'll have to take your word for it. I asked Rouge about love, once. She doesn't think it exists - at least not beyond the basic impulses. It sounds... painful. Like two people mutually taking advantage of each other's weaknesses," he frowned, "Not that Sonic seems eager to allow you to take advantage of him. In fact I think I've allowed you to take advantage of me more than he." What he'd just said was sinking in, and he tugged on his tie, "Is it getting hot in here?"

Amy laughed at how he described love, "I guess it's something like that." She thought that that was a funny but not completely inaccurate way to describe love. She was a bit surprised by the last part of what he said. She blushed a little bit "You know, I'm kind of glad that you came instead. You're interesting to talk to." He certainly was intriguing. He thought differently than most did.

Mercifully the wine bottle arrived then. The waiter opened the bottle and poured them each a glass. Shadow tipped him with a twenty. They would return with the menu in a little while.

"I never really thought of myself as interesting. More... depressing," he replied, picking up the wine flute, "But thankyou, Miss Rose. It's difficult sometimes to think of subject matter... I don't remember my childhood, although I doubt I had one in any case. Curious..." he picked up his wine flute, "You understand so many things I don't. You're..." he hunted for a word, "Enlightening. Yes. You light up the world."

_Oh Maria what a terrible line,_ he thought, his cheeks turning pink.

Amy sipped her wine once it was poured. It tasted amazing. Once again she giggled at the cheezy line. She liked that he was trying though. It was sort of endearing how he kept coming up with things that sound sweet in your head but just sound corny when you say them out loud. "Thankyou, Shadow. I really appreciate you taking me out. I know this must be out of your comfort zone, plus I know you don't know me that well. Until now all you really knew was that I'm some girl obsessed with Sonic," she said sheepishly.

"Oh, I know you're so much more than that," Shadow told her seriously, and sipped a little of the wine. It did taste nice, although he was no connoisseur. He didn't drink a lot, since his job didn't allow him the time, and when he did, it was usually bottled beer, "You're honest, and determined, and you stand up for those who can't stand alone. You want what's best for others, even if it's not what's best for you. It's _Sonic_ who thinks you're just some girl obsessed with Sonic," he frowned, "I appreciate that there's been an age difference for a while, of course... When you were 12, he was 15, when you were 15 he was 18..."

Amy was pretty surprised to hear him list those positive things about her. She didn't think he would think that at all. She hadn't even noticed some of those things. "Wow... well I'm glad that you think there's more to me than that," she smiled, "And yeah I noticed the difference in age." Still, she'd thought that now that she was 18 and he was 21 they had a better chance but that wasn't the case. Shadow had called her enlightening but she felt like she was the one who had really been enlightened.

"I suppose now I'm 7 and you're 18, it should be me chasing you?" Shadow asked. He was honestly starting to feel more comfortable around Amy now. At least she wasn't making fun of the lines he'd practised in the mirror, "There's an age-gap rule, I think... divide your age by two, and add seven, and that's the minimum age you should be dating. Which is ridiculous, but also makes sense, like most things do," he sighed, "Miss Rose, I... I think I should apologise. The reason I agreed to take you on this 'date' was obviously to make Sonic look bad. I suppose many of the things people say about me must be true. I _am_ a jerk."

Amy chuckled a bit. She'd heard about this rule and nodded in agreement. It made sense to do it that way even though it was a bit off. "I'm not mad. You don't seem like a jerk to me. I can see why you'd want to do that."

Shadow smiled, just a little bit. He disagreed that he wasn't a jerk, but it was nice Amy didn't think he was, "I don't suppose it matters, so long as you're having a good time," he told her.

The waiter came up again, "Would Sir and Madam like to choose their starters?" he asked.

Shadow examined the fish menu, deliberately picking out whatever was most expensive, "I'll try the, uh... 'Prawn and scallop 'coctel'," he told the waiter. He looked at Amy again, "I... must confess that I do like you, Miss Rose. You're not like the people I usually encounter. You're... innocent. I don't want to spoil that."

Amy smiled and nodded at that as she sipped her wine, having ordered these fancy looking crab cakes as her starter. "I'm glad to hear that. I like you too, I like talking to you. And how could you?"

"I... I don't know," Shadow replied, "I'm hardly the nicest person, and we're barely started here and yet..." he finished his drink and poured himself a fresh one quickly, taking a deep breath, "Yes. I'm glad you like me. It's your smile, I think. When you smile, I just know it's because you're seeing good in people and... I like the way you smile at me," he tugged at his collar again, "Yes. I think Sonic's very stupid for not appreciating your smile more."

Amy liked this compliment. It was the most simple one so far but it was her favourite, "Thank you... I haven't been told that before, she blushed a bit. They were just talking and she thought she'd be bored but she'd been intrigued or smiling almost this whole time.

"I'm not a good man," Shadow murmured, looking down. Right now he was thinking about the handgun in his concealed-carry holster that he had brought 'just in case'. Good people didn't think ahead like that, because they didn't worry about somebody being hired by the guy they'd busted a month ago to blow their head off, "But when you smile at me, I feel like I could become one. That's compliment enough for me," He coughed, "Which is silly, of course. Because we're friends. It's just that you have lots of friends. I have... less friends."

Any didn't know why he felt that way but she had a feeling that it had something to do with his job. She would preferred not to know though. It was touching that he thought she could positively impact his life. "Well, I hang out with my friends all the time. If you want you can always join us," she offered.

"I don't exactly blend in at family picnics," Shadow admitted, "But-"

He was cut off by the waiter bringing them their starters. He thanked the man and tipped him.

"What I mean is," he drank again from his glass, "It's difficult. To trust. Your friends are good people, and you're a good person..." he dug a fork into his scallops, "I can trust you. I can even trust them. Maybe that's why I feel I don't belong? Maybe I don't belong with good, trustworthy people because I'm not trustworthy? It's such a little thing... and I don't want to turn it down... but there's this constant nagging feeling inside me that tells me, 'you don't deserve this'. Like I don't deserve happiness."

Amy also said thank you and tried her starter. It was good. "Well it's really up to you but I feel like even though you've done bad things you still have a good heart. I don't know how to explain it but you don't seem bad to me...you deserve to be happy." She finished her wine. She couldn't help but feel like Shadow wasn't bad even though he did bad things.

"I don't remember my past," Shadow told her, "But I know what happened. That's why I worry. Because I know it happened because of me, but I don't know what my part was in it. I know I should leave it behind but... it's hard, even now," he smiled though, "But if you say I have a good heart, who am I to doubt you? It would be nice to feel happy," he took another bite, "It would be nice to feel loved..."

He stopped, his mouth full, as he realised what he'd said - again. He almost choked.

"I mean... love... you make it sound good. Fun, almost. And I... I don't want... I mean..." what did he mean? What was he trying to say, "I mean, this is fun. You're fun to be with. When there's no Eggman to fight. I mean..." he groaned and pushed his hand through his black and red quills, "What do I mean?"

He was embarrassed and confused. It was hilarious and adorable to see the Ultimate Lifeform so out of his depth on a dinner date. Amy chuckled, "It's okay to want to be loved Shadow, there's nothing wrong with that." She said, finding it adorable that he wanted to know love, "And I'm glad you like being around me. I like being around you too." He was so unfamiliar with things like love and happiness. It made her want to show him and help him be happy.

"It's okay to be loved," Shadow spoke as if he had never considered the idea before. He looked up at Amy, "Miss Rose... Amy... I don't think I've told you... how beautiful you look this evening," he swallowed his food, "Absolutely incredible. Because you went to all that effort for Sonic, of course, and it's absolutely ridiculous, you can storm out if you want, but I... I can't help but wish..." he finished his starter, "I can't help but wish you'd gone to all that effort for me."

His hand shook a little as he refilled both their glasses. A waiter, having noticed Shadow's skill at tipping, had seen them finish their starters and rushed over to collect their plates - and Shadow tipped him - while another was ready with the menu for main courses. It happened with heavy tippers. Plus of course it was Sonic's money.

"Would Sir and Madam like to pick their mains?" the waiter asked.

"Do I get to pick my own lobster?" Shadow asked, "The website said I do."

"The tank's right there," the waiter pointed.

"And they're expensive?"

"Very."

"Well, I've never tried lobster before," Shadow took a deep breath and walked over to examine the tank.

Amy smiled at his awkwardness. She'd already decided what she'd like earlier. She took a sip of her wine once it was refilled then followed him, looking inside of the tank for a nice looking lobster.

Trying to breathe steadily, Shadow eventually tapped on the glass, picking one, "I looked it up," he told Amy, "And lobsters don't actually scream when they're boiled. It's the air leaving their shells with the change of air pressure and heat..." he took a few more breaths, "Excuse me, I need to... visit the men's room..."

He hurried out of the main dining room and into the bathroom, where he rested his forehead on the cold mirror. He was actually sweating. He'd accepted this date in order to show up what a deadbeat douchebag Sonic could be when he didn't pay attention, and done nothing but embarrass himself all evening with a blatant display of how awkward he was in social situations. Honestly, Sonic would have looked like a douche without him showing here at all. But Amy didn't seem to mind. And by Chaos, she was so damn _beautiful_. He was saying things he didn't understand and feeling things he'd never felt, and he hadn't felt this lost since he'd walked into a room full of Shadow Androids six years ago.

He used the urinal - if things went on like this then the last thing he wanted out there was a full bladder - and returned to the table, finishing his glass of wine and filling it. He was drinking maybe twice as much as Amy, although his metabolism was capable of handling it.

Amy shrugged and picked out her lobster, watching them take it out of the tank before going back to her table to sit. She saw how much he was drinking, "Are you okay? I didn't mean to freak you out or anything," she asked, concerned.

"Oh, I'm fine," Shadow lied, "It's just that this evening has not gone the way I expected," before she could ask the million-dollar question, he continued more honestly, "I think I rather expected a chilly disdain, perhaps a door slammed in my face, which I would have not cared about one way or another. To have to spend the evening listening to you talk about Sonic, and make excuses for him. To tune out and just nod and smile. Nothing actually requiring thought. You're very different when you're not thinking about him, Amy. Happier, even," he paused, and laughed a little, "Oh... and I've just brought him up..."

Amy thought about what he said, "Happier? You think so?" She'd noticed a bit it but this brought it to her attention, "It's fine." She didn't mind as long as he wasn't the only thing they talked about. Which was odd since she normally loved doing that.

"Yes, when you talk about Sonic you always sound as if you're... pining. Like a child," Shadow told her eventually, "Now you sound more grown-up. I... apologise if I sound too blunt. But I would... like to see this side of you more often." He shuffled in his seat, shifting his feet under the table - and his foot accidentally brushed against Amy's leg. His cheeks turned bright red, "Accident! Accident!"

"It's fine I guess I could see that." Amy wasn't offended. She felt his foot brush against her leg and chuckled at his reaction. "It's fine, seeing you getting so flustered... It's cute."

"It... you... you don't mind?" Shadow asked. He wasn't blushing any less. In fact, he'd liked the sudden shock and tingling feeling of the physical contact, though it made no sense at all. In fact he rather wanted to feel it again, "Cute..." he couldn't help but smirk, because that was normally so far away from what he was that it was funny, "So, is this cute?" he asked her, his ankle touching hers, this time rather more deliberately. He half-expected a slap to the face.

She ended up blushing a little bit herself when he purposely pressed his ankle against hers "I meant that you were blushing so much but...I don't mind it." It was simple but she liked the contact.

Shadow didn't move his ankle, but he didn't pull it away either, at least not straight away. She liked it, and he liked it, and now he felt as if with that one moment of deliberate physical contact he'd just jumped over a cliff and couldn't ever climb back. There was something in his head that screamed he shouldn't be doing this and he was somehow spoiling Amy just by touching her. Then there was the part of him that was really, really enjoying seeing her blush, and he was just looking into her beautiful, emerald green eyes for what felt like forever.

The waiter arrived to break the silence, giving them each a plate with their lobster in. Shadow managed to pull his foot back from Amy's ankle, "I... I'm not normally like this," he told her unnecessarily, picking up his fork.

Amy was just enjoying looking into Shadow's ruby eyes for a bit, "It's fine Shadow. I really don't mind," she smiled a bit and started to eat her lobster. It was great, buttery and perfectly seasoned. She enjoyed the savoury flavor.

"You... you mean you like me when I'm like this?" Shadow asked. Unexpectedly, he talked with his mouth full, not something you'd expect from the steely, deliberate hedgehog. He swallowed the mouthful, "That's new." He was badly tempted to touch Amy's ankle again, but managed to hold back this time. He was glad for the plate of lobster though - it meant he could keep his eyes from wandering to her, "The others would laugh if they saw me like this with you. They'd say I'm going soft... so I'd have to put my fist through their head," he chuckled.

"Well yeah, I've never seen you like this and I like it," she responded and sipped her wine, "There's nothing wrong with being soft sometimes. You don't have to be tough all the time you know." She and everyone else knew he was tough, he didn't really need to prove it in her eyes. She preferred the glimpses of softness, nervousness, and cute tendencies that he had shown her.

Shadow hesitated. And then, shyly, nervously, touched his ankle to Amy's again, not speaking nor looking at her, just biting on his lip, uncertain of what she'd say or do next.

Amy smiled a bit at, she pressed her ankle against his gently. She didn't speak either, not wanting to ruin this moment as they ate.

Some silent minutes passed. Shadow trembled a little, and felt stupid for doing so. Now they weren't talking, they could hear the music, and see the couples dancing to it, "Sonic thought you'd confuse us again," he commented eventually, "After all these years. He actually wanted me to act like him! I didn't say I wouldn't... but I didn't say I would. Even if I could, I wouldn't want to."

Amy could feel him trembling. She thought that was really cute but she didn't want to embarrass him by commenting on it. "Really? Well, I'm glad you didn't act like him." This night would have been very different if he actually did try to act like Sonic.

"I think if I tried, you'd see the difference much faster," Shadow shook his head, "He only has one thing I envy." He looked up at Amy meaningfully.

Then he broke eye contact again, and looked around at the other tables. One young couple had the man balancing a wine flute on his fork. He gave it a moment's thought, and finished his champagne, then filled it up and gave it a try, balancing his glass on his fork likewise, "Here," he suggested, and held it out for her to drink from, almost playful.

Amy opened her mouth to respond, but saw where he looked. She giggled but actually managed to sip some without spilling it.

After she'd sipped some of the wine, he put his glass back on the table. He looked at it for a few seconds. It had just a little smudge of Amy's lipstick on it. And then, quickly, before he could change his mind, he turned the glass and sipped from that side quickly. From the way his cheeks were turning red, he expected some kind of glare or her walking away or... something.

But Amy blushed the same shade of red. She could see the symbolism, and she hadn't expected him to do that but she wasn't upset at all. She just felt a little flustered.

"I... I'm sorry," Shadow told her, seeing her blush, "I... I shouldn't have done that. It was... inappropriate." He looked away, "I... I don't even really know why, I just..." he groaned, rubbing his forehead, "I'm sorry..." He wiped the lipstick off his glass with his napkin hurriedly.

"No, it's fine. I really don't mind it." Amy said, placing her hand on his with a soft smile, "You don't need to apologise. It was... sort of romantic."

"Romance. Hardly one of my strong points, as I think we can both tell from the many ways I've humiliated myself this evening," Shadow looked at Amy's hand touching his, and to her face, and back at their hands again, and she felt him shiver a little. Then he curled his fingers around hers very slowly.

"Shadow, I've enjoyed this. It's been a really nice night." She gave it a gentle squeeze. "I'm glad to have had my first real date with you," she blushed a bit more.

"This is really your first date?" Shadow asked, surprised, "You mean I'm the only person other than Sonic? You... hasn't anybody ever approached you?"

"Well, yeah… I even went on a couple of dates. But Sonic always got so… _weird_ about it," Amy admitted, "So I would end it. I figured that he definitely wanted to be with me. But he didn't follow through…"

"Hmmm. Well, his loss is your gain," Shadow joked, giving Amy the slightly arrogant smirk that meant he was making a joke that was also insulting Sonic and boosting himself. Shadow wasn't going to stop believing he was the Ultimate Lifeform just because he had the most terrible lines, "And I too feel very lucky."

Amy chuckled and rolled her eyes at that. She smiled "...Hey if you're done eating too, do you want to dance with me?" she asked, gesturing to the dance floor.

"Oh, I..." Shadow's brief arrogance evaporated, "I can't dance."

"That's fine. I can show you, it isn't that hard." Amy wanted to at least try to show him how.

"But... they're just moving their feet around all over the place and," Shadow looked at the dancers, waltzing slowly, "I... you really want me to put my hands on you?" he checked. He wasn't blushing. He looked more surprised, although surprise was always a temporary thing.

"Come on, please?" she asked with wide eyes.

"Okay," Shadow agreed, perhaps a little faster than he intended to. This time it was him accepting Amy's hand as she took him to the dance floor. He swallowed. He was one of the most recognised people on the planet. He was perfect. He was the Ultimate Lifeform. Of course, dance lessons had not been in his Flash Programming, nor was it something GUN needed him to learn. The ability to assemble an M16 in 21 seconds blindfolded had been a higher priority.

He was still looking around at other people for his cues when Amy took his right hand and put it around her back, and held his left hand. Now that they were this close, it was, without exception, the scariest thing he'd ever done. He was sweating and shaking all over, and he was pretty sure she could see it as well as feel it.

The small orchestra was playing modern songs with a slightly classical bent on them, and "Love Like You" was starting to play.

Amy smiled at his nervousness. She knew this song. She wasn't sure if Shadow listened to music a lot but she guided him regardless, taking slow steps in time with the music so that he could match them. She didn't expect him to be perfect but she was so glad that he was trying.

It was practically Amy who was leading, and while Shadow was at first looking at the other couples to try and work out what to do, it wasn't long before he was focusing entirely on her again. His steps were out of time with the music, but he was still following her, "Amy, I... Uh..." He swallowed, "You are... a good dancer."

"Thank you, I dance a lot. You're doing a good job, you don't need to be so nervous." She said, trying to help him relax. She could feel him shaking, his fingers pressing against her skin, and him holding on tightly to her like he was afraid to let go.

He smiled, "It's not just the dancing that's making me nervous... I think we both know that." He continued to move his feet, his heart pounding away in his chest, "You're also... beautiful, and clever, and wise... I suppose I could compare you to Maria but the sad fact is that I don't remember her well... So really, I've never met anyone like you before."

Amy smiled, guiding him so that he pulled her close, "You don't need to be nervous to be around me Shadow." She blushed a bit at the compliments and being so close to him. She looked up at him "I haven't met anyone like you either. I love how you're so… unique."

"Unique. Well, that's one way to put it," Shadow replied wryly, even as he looked into her eyes. They turned in a circle, "I want to be... the person you think I am," he told her slowly, "A better person than I am right now. Thank you for... for thinking I'm something I'm not..." his fingers slid against her bare skin.

Amy turned them in a circle while they danced, "Shadow, I can't say that I know everything about you but I can say that who I think you are is who you are, even if it's deep inside. You'll get all the way there one day if that's what your goal is." She could definitely feel him holding her more tightly, but it wasn't hurting her.

Shadow was glad he was wearing gloves, because his hands were sweating, "It's my goal right now," he told her, "It's my goal when I look at you." This all felt so foolish... Amy was being kind. She always was. Why would she think of him as more than a friend? And when, exactly, had he started wanting her to? "You deserve a hero. Someone who can get there in time. Not a man whose job involves changing the sheets when the bad guy shits the bed."

"Well, I'm looking forward to the day that you meet that goal. But I still accept you with your flaws. There's good in all people, and that includes you."

The song ended, with him bending her back and looking into her eyes again. In fact he'd barely taken his attention away from her all evening. Sonic was always trying to escape her attention, but Shadow craved it. He took a breath after a few seconds though, and pulled her straight, bowing like the other men did, "Perhaps..." he moistened his lips, "Perhaps it's time to order dessert."

Amy laughed a little bit and looked up at him, into his eyes, wondering what it was he really wanted to say. She curtsied, "Yeah, let's go get some dessert." She lead him back to the table and sat down.

The waiter was quick to arrive, but Shadow was still wiping the sweat off his forehead before he could look at the menu, "It's been an... _interesting_ evening," he said again as he looked at the menu. All the desserts cost nearly twice as much as the main meals, not that it mattered, "I want to... thank you, Amy. I think this may have been the most entertaining night of my life that didn't involve high calibre weaponry."

Amy looked at her menu and decided what she wanted to get. She put it down and looked at Shadow. "I'm glad to hear that. I enjoyed this too." She said with a smile, "It's a lot better than staying in the house and moping over Sonic all night."

After a few seconds, Shadow decided to try something new, "I'll try the strawberry angel cake," he told the waiter, and looked at Amy. He felt like there was something he desperately wanted to tell her, but couldn't put together the words for it, "I enjoyed your company. I think I always do," he touched his ankle to hers under the table again, "You are... a rose," he said, "Not an open rose, days from wilting. The bud of a rose, yet to flower."

Amy ordered a mini lava cake. She looked back at him and blushed a little from his words, stroking her ankle against his slowly, giggling, "And you said you weren't romantic..."

"Well, you do make for a good muse," Shadow replied. A little more confidence welled up in him. His fists clenched and he was turning red, but he moved his ankle in return, his eyes flicking away from her face, and then back again, considering himself lucky that she even allowed him to touch her. And aware that every second that passed, they seemed to be getting closer.

Amy smiled at that, "You know you're pretty handsome... I especially like your eyes." They were so striking and she felt like she could see into his soul, the feelings he usually hid. Now she knew where to look if she really wanted to understand how he felt any other time.

"You do?" Shadow asked, "Other people seem to think they're... intimidating. Which is all well and good most of the time but... I don't especially want to intimidate _you_." He refilled his glass again, and then hers. They'd almost finished off the first bottle of wine. Rouge had called him handsome a few times, mostly when they had been fucking on her couch. He wondered what it would be like to kiss Amy, "Your eyes are... nice, I suppose. I think I find your heart far more beautiful though."

When he refilled her third glass, she didn't want to get tipsy, so she left it be while she talked to him. "Aw, thank you. I do try to be nice."

Perhaps it was Shadow who was getting a little tipsy, with his stern, arrogant demeanour slipping. He wasn't being rude or coarse and he certainly wasn't drunk... but he kept saying things that normally he wouldn't be caught dead saying, in public or private, "I would say that you've done a lot better than just trying," he hesitated and then started to move his hand towards hers.

They were interrupted again by the arrival of their desserts. Shadow tipped the waiter again and picked up his spoon.

"You see, Rouge is nice..." he told her, "But she's usually nice when she wants something. Jewels, favours, casual sex... Which is all very well, but it's _shallow_. You're not shallow. You're nice whether you want something or not."

Any could see he was slightly intoxicated now. She smiled at his comment and sampled her chocolatey desert while she listened to what he was saying, "Well yeah, I don't see any reason to not be," she replied.

"Of course! There are times when it's better not to be nice... but _you_ never see any of them," Shadow told her, "That's one of the things that makes you different. Special..." he ate a spoonful and nodded, enjoying it, "You deserve better. Sonic's an idiot for passing on this date. If I could..." he managed to stop himself. Even if Amy stopped pursuing Sonic, she'd still want somebody _like_ him, and while they had some things in common when it came to fighting evil, Shadow couldn't imagine himself being anything like Amy's sugar-coated vision of the blue hedgehog. Sonic was optimistic and outgoing and friendly. Shadow failed at all those things. It was childish to imagine... "Now I'm just being stupid..." he pinched his brow with a sigh.

Amy looked at him expectantly while she had some more of her dessert. "Hm? Don't say that, what were you going to say?" she questioned.

"If I could... have the chance..." Shadow took another sip, "I think I would never run away from you. I think that I would crawl on my belly through broken glass every morning, just to kneel at your feet and ask what you wanted that day," he looked away.

"Wow...no one's ever said _anything_ like that to me before," Amy's cheeks turned red, "You're too hard on yourself Shadow..." She understood that he did bad stuff sometimes but she felt like he deserved to be happier.

"Maybe it's not about me being a bad person," Shadow mused. He was vaguely aware that he just kept saying more and more, but he couldn't seem to shut himself up, "Maybe it's just that you deserve to be happy... I... I don't know when I started feeling this way... it must have been before tonight, but I can't quite... pin it down," he rubbed his head, thinking, "Perhaps it was ever since we first met... but it's hard to remember, with those early memories being so messed up. I'm messed up. Or just drunk..." he muttered, even though he knew he probably wasn't. He looked up at the pink hedgehog, "Amy, I... I shouldn't have agreed to take you on this stupid replacement date. I... I keep saying things and I don't know what I mean any more..."

Amy shook her head "It's alright Shadow. I'm glad that we came here and I think that I understand what you're trying to say." She really did. She was just surprised that he felt that way.

"Really?" he laughed, "Even _I_ don't know what I'm trying to say. I'm not used to having conversations about... well, anything, really..." he finished off his dessert and looked down at the other bottle of wine he'd bought. It was tempting, but he doubted the evening would make more sense if he did crack it open; he'd just remember less of it. And he _did_ want to remember this evening, "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, though..." He looked at her hand again. And then her eyes. And then at her lips. And then he looked at the table, embarrassed, "I honestly thought you'd be angry to see me instead of Sonic. Don't you... wish he was here?"

Amy also finished her dessert. She had enjoyed this evening. They got to talk, eat, touch, dance and even have cute silent moments. "I thought that I would but I actually don't. I'm glad you showed up instead," It was true. She had really enjoyed spending her time with someone else.

"That... that's good to know," Shadow put his hand near to Amy's "Of course, the evening's nearly over," he murmured. And he still couldn't seem to figure out what it was he wanted to say, "The... the bill will be coming soon," he smirked, "Doubtless Sonic will shit his sneakers."

Amy decided to take his hand gently again. She laughed at that "Yeah, I'd like to see his face. He'll be fine though." Mostly Sonic got money for merchandising and interviews. He wasn't a _sellout_, but he didn't need the flashy things in life. He didn't even spend much money.

Shadow just smiled a little, running his thumb over the back of Amy's hand, "Amy... do you really want to be with him?" he asked, his voice shaking a little.

Amy thought about it. "I... I don't know. It's not that I don't care, but I don't think I want to be with him. It hurts to care about someone so much who isn't there for you."

"Sonic is always there when you _need_ him," Shadow admitted, "He just isn't always there when you _want_ him. And contrary to common belief, that's just as important. The issue isn't that he traded a date with you to me. The issue is that he thought you would be satisfied with that, which is just belittling your feelings for him. And ironic, since it turned out you _were_ satisfied."

"I know what you mean. I know he's always there to help." Amy agreed. But they both knew that on a more emotional level… "There's been times when I knew that he wasn't busy and he'd promise to show up but didn't, or sometimes he just avoided me. He's a great friend and hero but he doesn't love me… Maybe it's time I just got over him…"

"You're a grown woman now, Amy," Shadow told her. He squeezed her hand, "It's your choice. Sonic wants his life to remain a fast-paced adventure. Before, you were always chasing him. In fact, you've spent so much time chasing him that you've overtaken him. Do you want to spend more time waiting for him to catch up? Or..." he linked his fingers with hers, "You could find somebody willing to run at your pace."

Amy looked into Shadow's ruby red eyes while he spoke seriously, "...You're right." She squeezed his hand a bit tighter. "I want to run beside somebody… not _to_ them." Shadow was right, and she could finally accept it. She was done chasing after someone who didn't want to be caught.

"I suppose it's not quite fair to say that Sonic doesn't like change," Shadow contemplated, "We only welcome change when we think it will be for the better. But he's happy with things the way they are. Which isn't making you happy - although I'm certain that's not his intent. Amy, I..." he looked into her emerald green eyes, "I want you to be happy."

She looked back at him "...Really?" She was surprised that he cared about her happiness so much, "Well… what do you mean by that?"

"I can't say I'm satisfied with my life as it is," Shadow told her, "Working for GUN, protecting the world... it's _important_, but I've come to realise that it shouldn't be my life. Rouge has hobbies. Friends. I'll never be normal, but if I want a happy life, I can't always be the Ultimate Lifeform. I need to change... somehow..."

Amy nodded at that "Yeah, maybe you should do things other than work. I'm sure you'll also be happy if you do things that interest you and make friends. I'd like to see you do things that you want to do. I don't think I've ever seen you really doing much that wasn't for GUN." She said. She wanted to see him happy too. "I know you want to help people, but you have to look out for yourself too. It's okay to be a little bit selfish."

"I suppose what I'm saying," Shadow looked at his and Amy's hands, "Is that this evening with you has been much more enjoyable to how my evenings usually go, and I would like more evenings like this..." he was just so convinced he'd be rejected... "With you."

Amy blushed a little bit. But she did want to do this again. "Well if that's how you feel of course we can do this again. I liked it." Wow. She really did want to go on another date with him. A planned one that was _meant_ to be with him.

The Waiter arrived with the bill just then, and Shadow looked up at Amy, this time with a small smirk at the five-figure sum, "Perhaps not quite as 'romantic' as this one, though," he told her. He pulled Sonic's credit card out of his pocket and used it in the card machine, imagining with great satisfaction the look on Sonic's face at the end of the month. He finished his wine, and took along the second bottle. Then he dropped most of the remaining tipping money on the table, and circled around to help Amy up.

Amy giggled at that, "Yeah that's fine, it doesn't have to be super fancy." She took his hand and they walked out of the restaurant together.

Once again there was no table between them. The limo was pulling up and the driver opened the door, while Shadow helped Amy in, then stepped in himself. It was almost the mirror image of the beginning of the night, when he had felt cocky and distant, and she had been cold and unhappy. In a matter of hours things had changed so much between them. He looked at her sitting right next to him, "Thanks for putting up with my crap tonight, Amy," he told her softly, "You're so innocent and I... well, I feel like I've taken that away from you tonight. Because I'm not. And I..." he was leaning towards her without really thinking, "I don't want to spoil you. "

Amy shifted closer to him, "Shadow, I like being around you. I've had fun tonight and I'm happy. If that means you're spoiling me..." She looked into his eyes. She'd enjoyed his company so much tonight. Seen a whole new side to him. Perhaps she wanted him to spoil her. To make her just a little less pure.

"Amy, you..." he brushed a finger in her quills, looking into her emerald-green eyes. His cheeks were very hot and his heart was beating hard enough that it almost hurt, "You're just so..."

Amy leaned closer to him, taking his hand, stroking it, "I'm so what?"

"You're... so much more than I deserve," Shadow told her, his voice trembling as much as the rest of his body.

Amy didn't say anything. She just cupped his cheek in her gloved hand even as their fingers intertwined.

Shadow sighed. And then leaned in for the kiss.

Amy had often wondered what Sonic's kiss would be like. Fast and energetic, perhaps. Eager and determined, maybe. Like him. And, of course, the most amazing thing she'd ever feel. But Shadow's kiss was light for several seconds. And yet became rapidly deeper and more passionate with every passing moment.

A groan rose up in his chest, and he closed his eyes. He'd been looking at Amy all night. Now he wanted to focus his other senses on her, the feel of her skin and the taste of her lips and the smell of her perfume and every little murmur she made. He didn't need to break the kiss to breathe. He wanted to hold onto this moment for as long as possible, and store it in his memory forever, knowing that at any moment she might return to her senses and slap him away.

Amy pulled him closer as their lips met and she closed her eyes. She thought the kiss was sweet at first, but gasped as the passion in Shadow's attentions rapidly increased. It was contagious, it sent sparks through her body, it burned her like wildfire. And it was her _first kiss_. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held on to it, not just letting him, but returning the movements in a desperate attempt to keep up.

Unlike him, she needed to take a moment to breathe. But she didn't pull away when she saw her red lipstick now staining his lips.

"Amy..." Shadow could feel his heart hammering, "You... you kissed me back," he told her, almost disbelieving, "Oh, by Chaos, Amy..." He kissed her again, but this time... this time pushing his hand up into her quills, pulling her head back and burying his lips in the crook of her neck, kissing deeply, moving to her bosom, his other hand gripping her waist possessively. He'd never meant for this to happen but deep down it was exactly what he'd wanted, even as he felt his own heat rise.

Amy was gasping with excitement, not speaking but holding onto him tightly, her hands knotting in his quills tightly. She'd never dreamed that the night would end like this, but after all that had happened, these passionate kisses and this closeness just felt so very right, and she leaned her head back, letting him touch her more, "Shadow…"

But Shadow let out a shuddering sigh, resting his forehead on her chest instead. Personally, he could quite happily have pulled off her clothes and dragged the two of them into a sweating, naked mess in the back seat of a moving limo. But he seriously doubted him taking that approach would make her 'happy'. Or that he had enough tipping cash left to buy off the driver. Even if she enjoyed it, he knew he'd regret it, and he'd regretted more than enough things in his life as it was.

"I can't..." he murmured, stroking her side more gently, "I can't do that to you. Not like this."

She hugged him close as he rested his head on her chest, stroking the quills both on his head and his back, "Hm? You can't do what?" she questioned innocently, having no idea about what he thought about doing.

"I... I could make you want it," Shadow told her, steadying himself but not looking up, "I could make you _beg_ for me to take you, right here," he stroked her side again meaningfully, "But... that wouldn't be right. I want you to want me. Not trick you into thinking you want me..."

Amy trembled as he touched her side, feeling little sparks running through her, and she knew that he could have done… and she would have let him, "Oh Shadow… thankyou for stopping…" her cheeks burned red, "It's too soon… But maybe if…" She petted his quills, "Maybe…"

"Maybe," Shadow sat straight again and kissed her cheek gently but slowly. His lips trembled, "I don't want to steal your first time from you, Amy," the Limo was pulling up to Amy's apartment, "I'll walk you to your door... but I can't go in." He tipped the driver with the last couple of twenties of the cash, and stepped out the door. He looked down at himself. In his pants there was a bulge that he'd have to deal with later. He offered a hand to Amy to help her out, if she still wanted him to.

Amy nodded at that. She was so grateful that he wanted her to genuinely be ready, instead of just seducing her. She saw the bulge and turned a little red, but made sure not to stare. She took his hand and stepped out of the limo. They walked up the steps to her apartment and she smiled, "This was great Shadow. I'm really looking forward to a date when you'll be the one I'm expecting." She gave him one more kiss "Goodnight."

The kiss lingered on Shadow's lips and made him ache for more, but he just smiled, "Goodnight, my Rose."

Amy nodded and with a smiled back at him, she walked inside her apartment and closed the door.

With a groan, Shadow just leant on the wall outside, waiting for his heart to calm down again.

* * *

Breech: SONNUVA - that's a helluva long chapter guys. I know it can continue though... if you want...


	2. We're Gonna Make Out On The Beach

Love In The Fast Lane

By Breech Loader and The Pinkest Flower

* * *

Breech: So I was on holiday. Such things happen. Lately I've been working on removing Filter words from my work though. It definitely cuts on word-cruft. And have a few words I came up with...

"So baby I know you,

You know I love you,

I know it's just your way,

I know the words you'll never say,

And the reason I'm going to,

See it all the way through,

Is because I love you too…"

I'm glad you like my 'terrible at dating' version of Shadow. And it's good to get good reviews!

* * *

Chapter Two: We're Gonna Make Out On The Beach

Normally Amy would be out and about the morning after a party, but now she had so much more to think about. Specifically the date with Shadow last night. It had been _amazing_. She couldn't believe that she liked him so much already – they'd not really had the chance to talk properly before, and yet after only a few hours she found herself meshing with him. He had his issues but no one was perfect. And he'd told her he wanted to change.

And the kiss that ended the night left her lips burning today…

At this particular moment a hedgehog was jogging up the stairs, but it wasn't the one on Amy's mind. Sonic had been practicing his lines all morning. He'd called Shadow, just to check if the black and red hedgehog had actually gone on the date with Amy, which apparently he had. After asking him how it went, the reply was, predictably, 'Hmph'. Now he had to see Amy, and put a few pleasantries her way. Okay, he didn't want to see her on a _date_, but she deserved to be given some kind of recognition before she came chasing him for it, Piko Hammer in hand.

He knocked sharply on the door, ready with a charming grin.

Amy answered the door and raised an eyebrow. "Oh, hey Sonic," she told him unenthusiastically. She wasn't sure if she was surprised to see him, and she could make a guess at what he was doing here, but she couldn't bring herself to be really angry, "What brings you here?"

"Heh, hey, Amy," he grinned, "I just called in to see how you were. I was kinda busy last night, saving the world with Silver. You know him. He only comes to visit when the world's doomed. I didn't want you to feel lonely though, that's why I sent Shadow. Just calling in to check you weren't too badly confused..."

"Yeah, I know. I could tell it wasn't you." Amy replied. She didn't bother nagging his ear off about how he should have just _said_ he was busy instead of trying to trick her. It didn't matter now, "And I know it won't happen again." She didn't intend to let it. Of course she was still kind of annoyed, so she wanted to keep this conversation short "Is that all?"

"Well... kinda..." Sonic was surprised she was taking this so well. He'd expected her to either be furious, or just so sappy like she normally was, "So, uh, I sure hope him and his scarred psyche didn't damage you too much, huh?" he grinned again.

"No. It went well." Amy said shortly.

"Well, uh..." Sonic could feel the tension rising, and it was weird, because it wasn't like their usual tension. She wasn't angry. She wasn't sad. He wondered if Shadow had actually done something to her, "I'm glad you're cool with it, Ames. Hey, I'll make it up to ya sometime, okay?" How many times had he said that already? "Smell ya later!" With those words, he dashed off, a blue blur.

"Yeah, okay. Goodbye Sonic." Any said before watching him leave. She went back into her apartment. She knew he wouldn't make it up to her but she couldn't find it in herself to care. She went back over to the couch, flipping through the channels as she relaxed.

Sonic didn't look back as he sped away from Amy's apartment block. For a few seconds Amy's behaviour bugged at him. He might not fawn over her the way she did him, but she was still his friend. But he dismissed it. She trusted and adored him. If there was a problem, she'd tell him. He put it to the back of his mind, and sped off, back to Tails' workshop.

* * *

It was about mid-afternoon and she was watering plants when her cell phone rang. She stopped when she recognised the number.

"Er, hello, uh, Rose," Shadow's baritone voice on the other end spoke, "It's Shadow. I... don't know if you remember, but..." wow, the egotistical black-and-red hedgehog sounded embarrassed just talking to her, "We went on Sonic's date last night and I was thinking you might like to... might like to do something today?"

"Oh hey, Shadow. Of course, I remember. Yeah, what do you want to do today?" She questioned, happy to hear from him.

"-because I would absolutely understand if you had forgotten last night or never wanted to-" Shadow stopped, as if that was the last thing he'd expected to hear, "You want to see me too?" he asked, "Well... wasn't expecting that... Well, I just thought... Perhaps you'd like to get ready for the beach? I'll bring that extra bottle of wine I bought at the restaurant and we can... do things at the beach, I guess. Together. If you like."

"Of course I want to see you again!" Amy didn't understand why he was so surprised, "That sounds so nice! Just let me get ready and we can go." she accepted his invitation to the beach gladly. She was sure that it would be fun.

"Great!" Shadow coughed, "I mean, good. I'll be around in an hour, to pick you up." The phone clicked down.

On the other end, in his rather bland apartment, Shadow took a breath and plunged his head into the cold water in the filled-up sink for several seconds. It helped with the burning terror of rejection that had tried to overwhelm him from calling Amy.

Amy put her phone down and went to get ready once he hung up. She figured she'd make some sandwiches too in case they got hungry, and packed bottled water. She pulled on a sundress on to cover her bikini suit until they got to the beach.

* * *

It was exactly one hour later - almost to the second - that Amy heard the noise of a motorcycle pulling up outside the apartment. About a minute after that there was a knock at her door, and she answered it to see Shadow, dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and black trousers that both looked ludicrous, and actually suited him at the same time. This time, he was also wearing a set of dog-tags around his neck - well, he'd been wearing them last night, but _under_ the tux.

"Rose," he gave her an awkward half-smile, "I, uh... Hey." He tried to smile again, looking her over, "You look good."

"Aw, thanks Shadow. And you look… cute." she hugged him. "Are you ready to go?" She questioned. It was funny to see him wear something like that but it looked strangely appropriate too.

"For a man who's coloured entirely black and red, you certainly call me 'cute' a lot," Shadow looked over her sun-dress again, "I don't say you look sexy just because you look beautiful in that dress..." he nodded, "I'm ready. To some degree. Have you ever ridden on a low-ride motorcycle before?" he checked. He didn't need it. He could run faster than anything GUN could build. But it was easier to move the small ice-cooler around that way. Plus of course there was the potential benefit of Amy holding on right behind him...

And good gods he loved that bike.

"Yeah well, you are." Amy not only called him cute because of his looks. Even his behaviour was cute since he'd opened up to her, "No, I haven't, I just hold onto you while you drive right?" She figured it would be fine.

"That's about the basics of it," Shadow carried the picnic basket for Amy, "Think of it as riding a horse," he told her as they exited the apartment block, "The coolest and most awesome horse in the entire world," he ran his hand over his bike with something approaching the same fondness he had with Amy last night. He packed the basket on top of the ice cooler, and then popped a helmet on her head, "Try to hold on with your knees too," he advised her as he climbed into the driver saddle.

Amy giggled a bit and nodded "Alright." She felt the helmet slip onto her head. She nodded and got on behind him. She wrapped her arms around him and locked her knees against the bike tightly.

A shiver went through Shadow as he felt Amy's arms around his waist, and her pressed up to him. He leant his head back a little and took a deep breath. Then he fired up the motorcycle. True, his bike was fast, and Shadow didn't talk when he drove, so they were at Emerald Beach without much conversation. It was about half-four when he parked the bike and picked up the cooler, "I know there's not much fancy about going to the beach, Rose," he told Amy, "I just thought... that usually first dates aren't exceptionally fancy, and we haven't really had a first date yet, considering that you were expecting to see Sonic... I thought maybe this would be more like a first date. I don't know. I never actually went on a date with Rouge..."

"I thought you said you... had sex with Rouge," Amy asked.

"Well yes, we did _that_," Shadow admitted, "We just didn't go on any dates first. That's what happens when you're in a relationship with a co-worker. There's no romance in it. You see each other all day at work, you go on week-long missions hunting down bad people together... You even share alibis... Eventually you find out that work is the only thing you have in common, and all your differences clash."

They walked down onto the beach.

"Oh, well that makes sense." Amy said before grabbing the beach bag and picnic basket. "Anyway, let's find a spot." She walked onto the beach with him. After a few minutes they found a slightly pebbly but private spot, and spread out a beach towel for them. She put her bag and the picnic basket down on the blanket before pulling off her sundress and putting it into her bag.

Shadow was just lowering the icebox when she took off her sundress. Even in the heat of the afternoon sun, he froze up, his jaw dropping as he studied both the tiny red bikini, and the parts of Amy that weren't covered in the bikini, "Oh... wow," he spoke slowly, "That... that is..." he coughed, "You look amazing." He sat down, and after a moment of thought pulled the ice-box into his lap as he took out a small tray and two glasses, and opened the wine bottle, "Well Rose, I don't know if it's a shame you weren't wearing that last night, or a good thing." He couldn't take his eyes off her, even as he filled both glasses.

Amy smiled at his reaction to her bathing suit while he checked her out. She sat next to him, "Thanks Shadow. I have a feeling that if I would have worn this we would have been stopped at the door for breaking their dress code." She said with a chuckle as she sipped her wine.

"Never mind the restaurant... I would have stopped you from getting out the limo," Shadow smiled slightly, then became a little more serious, "Rose, I don't think I ever thanked you properly... On the ARK, when you told me it wasn't too late to help, so I did. You did more than save the world. You saved my soul..." He sipped from his glass.

"You're welcome Shadow! I could tell that you had good in you." She smiled. Right now she was glad to have been right about that. He wasn't really a bad guy to her. A little gloomy sometimes, but no way a bad person.

He shuffled to sit closer to her. He could have made a lot more dirty jokes about the swimming costume, but it would have made Amy feel uncomfortable. And then she'd put that sundress back on, "I suppose I should thank Sonic for the wine some time. Maybe at the end of the month," he took the ice-box back out of his lap, because maybe it was getting _too_ cold there, and looked up at the cloudless sky, "At least today I have an excuse for feeling too hot."

He kicked off his jet shoes - he didn't want to turn the beach into glass - and slid his hand over to take Amy's.

"That swimming costume poses a very interesting question, though," he spoke in a 'thoughtful' tone, "Did you wear it because you intend to go swimming, despite knowing that I have no swim-shorts of my own... or did you wear it with the intention of _teasing_ me, believing that I am too much of a gentleman to take it off you?" he chuckled, "Maybe you're not such a good girl as I thought you were, Rose..."

Amy blushed faintly and giggled at his teasing, "Well I do have a more modest bathing suit that I could have picked but... I guess I want to swim too." She did want to go in the water but she did want to show off to Shadow, she supposed, "Speaking of swimming… I think I want to dive in now," she put down her wine glass and splashed into the cool blue water.

"And I think, so do I," Shadow replied. He put his glass down and waded into the water after her, shirt and trousers still on. He couldn't swim as well as her - honestly, Amy was like a little water baby - but he was still faster, and tried to catch up before she got out of wading depth, making a grab at her. For once in his life, he actually felt genuinely happy... it happened so rarely that he really noticed when he was.

Amy was happy to see that he had joined her even though he wasn't wearing swimming trunks. She was a pretty good swimmer. He was faster than her, though, so he ended up catching her just before his feet couldn't touch the bottom of the shore anymore. She turned around and smiled at him when he grabbed her, "You've _ruined_ your clothes," she joked, and played a little with his dog-tags.

"Seems so. Perhaps I should take them off to dry when I get you back to the beach," Shadow replied cockily. He picked her up with his arms around her waist and waded a little way back, until he was only waist deep, and then looked deep in her emerald eyes again. His cheeks flushed as he looked at her, and his hands moved on her bare skin, stroking lightly, "You're so beautiful when you smile," he told her, leaning forward a little without thinking.

Amy blushed from his joke. She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck when she was picked up. And then she smiled at his remark and leaned in, kissing him deeply.

Shadow gasped despite himself as both their lips and hips pressed together firmly, despite both being clothed - well, technically clothed, in Amy's case. But he took up the kiss eagerly, his lips moving against hers passionately. With one arm around her back, his right hand moved down her side and his fingers pressed hard against her soft outer thigh. It was a touch that was both protective and deeply possessive, with perhaps a hint of roughness to it, even as his tongue pressed between her lips.

Amy enjoyed the feeling of his fingers pressing into her thigh like that, it made her feel safe and close to him. Her lips parted as she opened her mouth, to give his tongue access to her mouth, the waves splashing against them lightly as they made out.

It was so different from kissing Rouge... Somehow, a kiss with Amy was more honest and pure. Because he was keeping a mental watch on what he did, he felt more in control. Whenever he'd been with Rouge, no matter how hard he tried, she always seemed to be the one in charge, but Amy gave him strength. He ran his tongue over her lips, and then explored her mouth, one hand pushing up into her quills, the other rubbing firmly at her thigh as he waded back to shore slowly. And when they reached the beach towel, he lay down on his back with her on top, still kissing her, and he still felt in control of both himself and the whole situation.

Amy was new to this so she let him have most of the control and lead her. She held onto him tightly as she moved her tongue against his and she didn't stop kissing him for one moment. She laid on top of him stopping for a brief moment to breathe before going right back to kissing him. She didn't have to. But she _wanted_ to.

Shadow was just starting to slide his knee slowly up between Amy's thighs before the worst possible thing that could happen, did happen.

"Hey, Amy! Hey, Sonic!"

Shadow broke the kiss and turned his head slowly to see the white hedgehog coming up about ten yards away, "Shit..."

"SHADOW?!"

It was Silver. And upon everything else, he just had to have Blaze with him, in her purple swimsuit. They were both staring at the two hedgehogs locked together.

Amy almost jumped a mile and pulled her lips away when she heard her name called. Blaze was reacting more calmly, but there was no mistaking the surprise in her amber eyes, "Hello, Amy… Hello, Shadow..." The lavender feline certainly hadn't expected to see those two together. She was carrying a basket and it seemed they had also planned on having a day at the beach.

"Oh... hey guys..." Amy realised that she was still laying on top of Shadow and slid off, sitting next to him. Well, this was awkward. Not bad but… on the beach with Shadow's tongue half-way down her throat, definitely bringing the pink to her cheeks.

"Why does everybody always mistake me for the faker?" Shadow sat up slowly, "My quills are black and red, his are blue... We're in broad daylight!" Silver was dressed in a tank-top, shorts and flip-flops and in his opinion, looked more like a twink than ever. He definitely needed to start making moves on Blaze, if Shadow didn't kill him for this interruption first.

"Er... considering the situation... quite easily," Silver pointed out. He was very definitely starting to wish he hadn't persuaded Blaze to let him pull this joke and interrupt Amy and 'Sonic', "I mean... Amy was kind of acting as an improvised sunshade for you... What are you two even doing?"

"The same thing you two want to be doing, of course," Shadow snapped at him, irritated, "Only better." He could see Blaze trying to hide a smile.

Silver's cheeks turned a little pink, "It's just that... Amy..." Silver looked at the pink hedgehog, who was still dripping with water, and remembered that it had been her 18th birthday last week. He also remembered that Amy had once stood between Sonic and a raving psychopath - namely him - and proclaimed her love, "Isn't your favourite colour usually... blue?"

Shadow snorted and picked up the wine bottle, filling up his glass and drinking the whole thing.

Amy shrugged, "Things change. I moved on." She couldn't say she was surprised at Silver's response after she had been obsessed with Sonic for so many years, considering she was entangled with Shadow.

Blaze turned her head to look at Shadow, one eyebrow raised. He suddenly felt as if he was somehow being considered not good enough for Amy. And sure, he wasn't, but he still felt like he was better for her than the blue fake, "Am I perchance doing something wrong here?" he asked Blaze, his voice dangerously neutral.

Blaze looked at him, "Amy can date whoever she wants. I trust her judgement." Really she was just curious about her friend's sudden change in interest. She didn't get why Shadow was suddenly so defensive about it.

Shadow just grunted, "I'm going for a... for a walk," he replied, standing up and walking off. Of course he'd be back, but he just didn't feel like he could take the staring right now.

"Well obviously Amy can date whoever she wants," Silver looked at Amy, "If she's SANE! Seriously Amy... Shadow's a good guy and all, but you two... are so... different!"

Amy wasn't worried, she knew Shadow would be back. "Well yeah we're different but being with him makes me happy." She didn't get why Silver worried so much. She knew that this scrutiny would come but she thought they'd be able to dodge interrogation from their friends for at least a little while.

"I'm not saying you shouldn't be happy," Silver admitted, "I'm just saying... How long has this been going, anyway?"

"Well, this is the second day. We started liking each other last night." Amy said.

"That's not long. You got over Sonic fast." Blaze pointed out.

"THE SECOND DAY!" Silver grabbed his quills and tugged on them, then looked at where a couple had fallen out, "Damn!" He admired Shadow; that much was obvious of the white hedgehog, but he was still stunned, "You two looked ready to go down on each other! What if he tried to... I mean, he wouldn't, but how will you know when you're ready? When he _tells_ you you're ready?!"

"Well... good for you," Blaze managed, stunned. Amy had pursued Sonic for years; to her to get over him... well, maybe she wasn't... still, a lot could change in a short time.

Amy blushed a bit at what Silver said, he was right, they had been getting kind of heated. "Honestly, Silver, I don't think Shadow would try to trick me into thinking I'm ready. I guess I'll just know when."

Silver was 20 right now. He'd lived through nine different warzones in the future. He rolled his amber eyes, "Yeah, sure you will. Hormones always make sure to call first..." he took a deep breath, "No, I'm being a douche... Shadow's a good guy. I guess it's because he's so different to Sonic, that's all. I mean, going from Sonic to Shadow... that's a big shift."

"I think that's a part of why I like him. He's not completely different... but it is all new." Amy responded.

Blaze tapped Silver's shoulder, "Silver she sounds happy. Maybe we should leave them alone. For now at least." She wasn't completely sure how this would go either but Shadow didn't really seem like a bad choice… perhaps it was a short thing while Amy stopped fawning over Sonic. it wasn't down to them to choose who she was with. Plus they were interrupting each other's date.

Silver nodded, "Yeah, I guess I'm not the best guy to preach experience..." he gave Blaze a sheepish grin, "Sorry. Hey..." he turned to Amy, "There's a great ice-cream cafe down the beach..." he pointed in the direction they had come from, "You and Shadow could try putting something else in your mouths there..." he grinned, but also blushed at his own cheap joke.

Amy blushed a bit more at the joke but chuckled. "Thanks for that. We'll check it out."

Blaze looked at Amy. "Goodbye, Amy. And have fun with Shadow..."

Amy nodded, "Alright. See you around!"

Silver clasped Blaze's hand in his, and the couple started down the beach again. They hadn't long been dating - dating was complicated for a guy like Silver, who might have to go back to the future at any time. But it was obvious he cared a lot about the purple feline.

Shadow was returning too, his hands thrust in his pockets and a frown on his face. He saw Amy smiling and perked up a bit. Of course Silver had completely ruined the moment, but perhaps the kid had a point about this moving fast... And there would be plenty more moment. He'd make sure of it. He sat next to Amy again, "I apologise, Rose. I just didn't want to blow up at the boy and upset you," he explained to her, taking her hand.

Amy smiled as Shadow sat next to her again, "I'm glad you didn't, I don't want to see you upset."

Thanks to Silver, the make-out moment had been steamrollered, but they still had wine, and sandwiches, and the beach. And each other, "I've been... upset many times," Shadow told her, "It tends to end with other people being hurt more than me." He pulled the picnic basket closer to them and dug in to find out what Amy had brought, "I guess that's why I've been alone for so long."

"Well, your temper can't be that bad, you walked away on your own." Amy reached into the basket. There were sandwiches and bags of chips in the basket.

"Yes, because it was Silver," Shadow wasn't sure why he liked Silver. Well, not like, exactly. But he identified with the white hedgehog who had seen so much suffering in his life, and unlike Shadow, hadn't been able to forget it, "He's an idiot," well, really Shadow was more using the word 'naive', "But he's a good boy. Still..." he shuffled closer to Amy, "Thanks for giving me a reason to walk away." He took out an egg sandwich.

Amy understood and nodded a bit. She was glad that things went alright. They had ruined their moment but she didn't mind that much since she had a feeling that there would be many more of them. She pulled a turkey sandwich out of the basket and started eating it.

Shadow moved closer to Amy and turned to look at the horizon. The sun was just above the sea now, and it looked... beautiful. In a way, it looked as if the sun was going to take a dip. Perhaps the orb of fire would boil away the ocean even, "When I first came to Earth... well, after that Neo Metal Sonic debacle when I lost my memory... I'd never actually seen the sun set before," he tugged on his dog tags awkwardly, "It scared me. I was afraid because... because I'd never seen a sunrise. I _knew_, of course... but I was afraid. I've spent a lot of time in the dark..." He had never really admitted that before.

Amy thought of the blackness of space, "You mean you're afraid of the dark?" she questioned, "I wouldn't have thought…"

"It was a _different_ kind of darkness on the ARK," Shadow looked away, "I often had to train in the dark. And if I showed impudence, they had… dark rooms."

Amy appreciated that he was telling her something like that. "Well, now you know you don't need to be afraid of the dark. Even though the sun sets, it'll always rise, regular as clockwork..." she nuzzled Shadow's cheek, "Shadows aren't caused by the absence of light. They're caused by its presence..." She finished her sandwich.

"Hmmm..." Shadow absorbed the pink hedgehog's words. Then he turned to look at her thoughtfully. She was so innocent... she only knew how to be gentle, and he didn't always do gentle. But he didn't want to have to be rough on her, "Here, let me show you something," he pulled her into his lap, stroking her thighs gently.

Amy giggled a bit, but didn't protest, wondering what he wanted to show her.

"Okay… Put your hand... here," he took her hand, and rested it on his hip, "You dig in your fingers, as deep you can. Really squeeze hard. And your other hand," he pushed it right up into his quills, right to the scalp where the quills hadn't stiffened yet and were soft and safe, "You hold tight," he closed her hand, "And you pull 'em back. Pull _really_ hard."

Amy let him guide her hands as she sat on his lap. She was a little surprised that he wanted her to get rough, "But... won't that hurt?" She certainly didn't want to hurt him.

Shadow snorted, "Of course it will," he saw her confusion and spoke more gently, touching her cheek, "Rose, there's nothing kinky about it. Love, it... it feels good, like you said. And it hurts too. Like I said. So when you _really_ trust somebody, you want to feel them do both those things. You trust them to make you feel good and hurt you both at once, and it all gets together and somehow it... it feels even better. I don't want to hurt you until you understand how it feels good."

Amy nodded a bit in understanding. She had the loving part down but she'd never thought about the pain. She didn't want love to hurt. Still, if he said it was safe, she trusted him. She dug her fingers deep into his hip and gripped his quills and pulled them back hard as instructed, wanting to be able to provide both the love and pain that he craved from her.

"Hnnngh!" Shadow gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, focusing on it all... especially Amy's hands on his body. He sounded as if he was in pain, but his spine arched and as she pulled harder his hips bucked, "Now you..." He didn't tell her to stop, but put his hands on her hips. Rather than squeezing though, he pulled her closer gently, until her bikini bottom was straddled right up to his pants crotch. She could feel the hard bulge in his pants, "And you grind..." he shifted her hips around gently, "Down, as hard as you like, as hard as you _can_, until I tell you to stop."

Amy saw that he was in pain, but she hadn't expected to see him enjoy it. He had said there was nothing kinky about it but the way he arched and the bulge in his pants suggested perhaps a little bit otherwise. She felt him move her and blushed as she felt the weight of it press against her. He wasn't forcing her, just guiding her, and she could feel her heart pounding. She started to grind down against his bulge, gently at first and then harder, creating both friction and pressure. The rising moonlight shone down on them both, glimmering off the waves like a mirror.

Shadow panted as he felt the friction of the cloth and the pressure against him, digging his fingers into the pebbled sand. And the harder Amy ground down, the more of that feeling they shared. In response to it, he ground his hips upwards, that thickness in his pants rubbing right up against her as he moaned.

But he took his time before he finally spoke again, "Now you... ease it all off..." he told her, shuddering in pleasure, "And then you do it... all again... but... _harder_."

Amy was moaning too, the sounds slipping past her lips softly as they ground together. Due to how small the bikini bottom was, she could really feel it, and it felt really _good_. Good enough that she kept going, all until he told her to slow down and stop. And _then_ he told her he wanted her to do it again. It felt _amazing_.

"Ah... ah..." Shadow continued to grind his hips up, hearing her moans increase... as she began to understand. That much pressure on his crotch was hurting... but at the same time it was an arousing, wonderful hurt, "That's good, Rose... that's _really_ good..." He put his left hand on her cheek, still sitting up, "And now... we just..."

He pulled her in for the kiss, and laid the passion and fire into her, his tongue overwhelming her mouth, his lips moving hard and fast as he tasted her deeply, bringing her so much closer against him.

And then he pinched the very tip of her ear, _hard_.

Amy kissed him back eagerly, her core throbbing from their intense grinding. She'd expected her returning kisses to be soft, but he had heated her up so much that she returned them with just as much passion, moaning into the kiss as she felt Shadow's tongue exploring her mouth. And then she felt the sudden pinch send a thrill through her body and she gasped into their kiss, eyes widening, the unexpected pain complimenting the pleasure perfectly.

Shadow smiled into the kiss. He could tell Amy liked it as she trembled with excitement. Maybe in time they could go so much further than a pinch or two, "You see, my Rose?" he murmured, "Pain _can_ feel good…"

She was nodding, pulling and grinding harder. He wanted to do so too. But he reluctantly ended the kiss, and loosened her hands from him, holding her hips and stilling them gently from the grind. It was like he'd guessed; he was _way_ ahead of her. He was still rock hard and he was panting, practically radiating heat, his shoulders shook, and he looked into her emerald eyes. She practically glowed in the moonlight.

"But I want you to promise me, that you will never let anybody treat you like that unless you completely trust them. _Not even me_."

Amy panted softly as everything came to a spinning stop. That was _great_. She'd never been so heated up by anyone before, and she desperately wanted more. But at the same time she knew why Shadow had stopped, "I promise, Shadow." she answered truthfully.

"Good," he smiled, and stroked her cheek, "I... I know what I want... I think you know what I want too..." his cheeks turned pink and he glanced away, "I just... don't want to mess this up. And you still don't understand how easily that could happen..." he slid her off his lap... damn, she'd made him so _hot_... "And hey, there's still half-a-bottle of wine left, this time!" he stood up, "Plenty for next time..." he looked at the moon, "It... it's late. I've had a lovely time, Amy... I'll drive you home?"

Amy blushed and nodded. She knew what he wanted, and she was damp from the grinding but she wasn't quite ready. She stood up with him, "Yeah. I had a good time too. Just let me pack up." She slipped her dress back on to cover up and folded up the blanket, putting it in the beach bag. She picked up the picnic basket and the beach bag. "Alright. I'm ready to go."

Shadow packed the wine back in the ice-box and picked it up, "Hmm..." he looked up at the stars, and the moon with its large chunk missing that was a permanent reminder of how much of an asshole he could be if he didn't pay attention. The Ark was floating up there, now just a big graveyard in space. A light streaked across the sky, "Maria said if you wished on a falling star, it would come true. Professor Gerald said they're just small meteors, burning up on re-entry."

"Well I still believe in wishes." Amy told him firmly, "If you wish hard enough and put a little work into it yourself any dream can come true."

"Hmph," Shadow watched it for a few seconds, storing it up in his head. Then he turned back to Amy, linking his arm with hers, "What was your wish?" he asked.

"I wished for us both to be happy," Amy smiled, knowing how cheesy it sounded, "Now you."

"Hmmm... I wished for... Tomorrow," Shadow replied breezily.

"_Just_ tomorrow?" she asked with a smile.

He just tugged gently on one of her quills so that she'd face him, "Tomorrow's good enough, when I'm with you…"

They kissed again under the moonlight and with the waves washing up on the beach gently behind them.

It was the most romantic moment of Amy's life, bar none – no passionate fumblings or frantic tugging. Just something long and deep and utterly perfect. A pure moment that could never be spoiled.

Shadow ran his fingers through her quills, "Well, if my wish comes true... I'm sure yours will too," he promised her.

* * *

Breech: Wow, I just really loved the mental image of Shadow in his Hawaiian shirt (see Sonic Boom fake concept art) making out with Amy under the moonlight. Couldn't fight that image. I wish I could draw (wink wink).


	3. Get Out Of My Seat

Love In The Fast Lane

By Breech Loader and The Pinkest Flower

* * *

Breech: I like the idea of Shadow being… well, he's still Shadow. Awkward at social situations, but that doesn't mean he's not an absolute douche when he doesn't pay attention. I mean, he's Sonic's rival and the Ultimate Lifeform.

He's not into big kinks, it's just that Amy's never done any kinks at all.

* * *

Chapter Three: Get Out Of My Seat

Silver had enjoyed his day at the beach with Blaze – and in the evening they had gone out to a sushi bar - but after what he'd seen there he had a few things to tell one of his other friends before he headed back and found out whether the future was screwed. He just wasn't sure how to say any of it as he knocked on Sonic's beach-house door and waited.

The door opened quickly enough. Sonic looked out at Silver and grinned at the skinny hedgehog. It always felt weird that he was just a year older than Silver - the white hedgehog sometimes seemed so naive, especially for the things he'd gone through. Sonic quite liked Silver though, even if he had once tried to kill him... He was optimistic, and he never gave up. Trustworthy. It was a shame the kid only showed up when bad things were about to happen, but he tended to stick around for a couple of weeks before going back, a little longer each time…

"Hey, Silver! Didn't expect to see you today!" He walked out, "How's it hanging? I heard about you finally going on a date with Blaze. Nailed some pussy yet?"

Silver smiled when he opened the door. "Hey, Sonic! I'm good" he blushed at that question "W-Well no, we're definitely not there yet. I'm working on it. It's a slow process. I mean, she's a princess, you know? Kind of a barrier. But, uh… there's some other 'pussy that might be nailed." he said, killing two birds with one stone by diverting the attention away from his own personal life, and bringing up what he really wanted to tell Sonic about.

"Heh, you always show up at the first sign of trouble, Silv," Sonic walked with him casually, "You want to change the future again? You worry too much. The future's gonna work itself out. Just go with the flow, why don't you?"

"What? Well I'm sure I'll have to sooner or later but… not right now. Things don't always work out. It's not just about bad things, it's just that sometimes you just gotta… intervene?" Silver responded as he walked with him. "Speaking of that, there's something I wanted to tell you," he said, eager to bring up what he was trying to say.

"Seriously, Silver, chill. I say when you've got time to worry, just run," Sonic told him confidently, "Sure, you can't curl or dash like normal hedgehogs, but you've got that snapparoo thing you do with your brains. Hey, maybe you take Blaze for a flight sometime?"

"Well yeah, maybe. That is a good idea. She might like that..." he said thoughtfully. He figured he'd calm down a little bit and go with the conversation since he kept getting interrupted anyway. He was still eager to bring it up.

"Get her a sushi selection or something..." Sonic continued, "Anyway, that's not all you came here to gossip about, right?"

"Hm... yeah. Thanks, she'd like that." Silver kept that advice in mind. "No, actually it's from the present. Well, the past since it was yesterday but anyway me and Blaze were at the beach together when we…" well, there was no nice way to put this, "We ran into Shadow and Amy. I mean they looked like they were about to go at it on the beach." Silver was terrible for gossip – he'd already told three others on his way here.

"Wait-WHAT?!" Sonic stared for several seconds, his mouth opening and closing, trying to get a grasp on the words that Silver had just rushed out. Amy... and Shadow? He'd sent the black and red hedgehog to have a date with her already... "Heh... good one, Silv... HA! And Tails says you don't have a sense of humour... I happen to know Shadow already took Amy out on a date, and he wouldn't go somewhere cheap like the beach... Not after I leant him my card to do it with, anyway..."

"But I'm not joking! They really were, Shadow's tongue was half-way down her throat! Me and Blaze even walked over to talk to them. That date…" Silver thought about it, "Well, it must've gone pretty good, 'cause when I asked Amy said they'd only been together two days and that they started liking each other the night before."

Sonic watched, his face blank as Silver continued.

"Kinda makes me think it's time to make a move on Blaze," Silver admitted, "I mean, we've been… well, I don't know what we've been doing, because it wasn't _that_," he added, wishing Sonic would believe him.

"Silver..." Sonic stopped, remembering the weird way Amy had acted towards him yesterday, "Silver, have you ever seen Shadow try it on with girls? He doesn't go for nice girls like Amy. He goes for high-heeling, big-boobed, badass chicks like Rouge. In fact Rouge is his only girl, because he's _terrible_ with girls. I once caught him practising flirt-lines in the mirror. The _mirror_, Silver."

"I don't know Sonic... If he only goes for girls like Rouge then why wouldn't he be with her instead?" Silver asked, "Or somebody like her, anyway…"

"Because Rouge is a slut," Sonic blew off the question. The answer made absolutely zero sense, and it was obvious Sonic didn't need it to make sense, "Anyway, Amy wants me! I mean, if she was with Shadow, why would I care... but she's obviously not the 'dark twisted psyche' type of girl. She's sugar-sweet and innocent. She's not even mad at me over the date thing! You're the biggest gossip in Station Square, Silver. She probably just saw you coming. Thinks she can make me jealous with a little second-hand info..."

"I don't know. She was kinda busy… or her hands were, anyway," Silver flushed at remembering the way the two had been handling each other, "But if you really don't believe me then why don't you ask her? I mean, I was sceptical when I saw it," he shrugged.

"NO!" Sonic shook his head, "No, they got you, Silver. You know what this is? This is just... stupid. Why would Amy even _do_ that? I mean, she's all over me, all the time! These last ten years she's been chasing me, why'd she wanna quit now?"

"I know, right? That's what I said, but she said she'd moved on and she was happy with Shadow. I mean sure… maybe he's a rebound but I don't think she was thinking of you…" Silver hesitated, "Come on, Sonic, you're being weird. I thought you'd be glad to finally have her off your back. Or are you scared to lose your number one fan?" he teased lightly.

"Why would I lose her?" Sonic gritted his teeth. He felt like his head was spinning. This was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard. In his head he pictured Amy kissing Shadow, and a vicious stab of something he didn't recognise stung his gut, "You know what? If she was going for Shadow, the only reason I'd be unhappy would be because he's such a douchebag. But she's not. She's just being ditzy little Amy, thinking we've got something going. I'm more worried that Shadow might be crazy enough to take her seriously! It's not like he knows how to take a joke..."

Silver shrugged once again, "I really don't know. It doesn't make _sense_ for her to switch so fast but it doesn't make sense for Shadow to go for a girl if he's not serious."

"Exactly! That's why this is all bullshit!" Sonic forced a laugh, "This is all... yeah, you know what? This is so much damn crap, that I'm actually gonna... I'm gonna talk to Amy, and she's gonna jump on me, and then I'm gonna tell everybody about how you got fooled by Amy and Shadow and they're all gonna laugh. At you. There's your bad future, Silver. Because... because Amy still wants me. Nothing's changed."

"Fine, go ahead then. Let's find out." Silver said. He wanted to know the truth too, even if it did mean that he was wrong. He did have a tendency to gossip without getting all of the details first...

"Heh..." Sonic laughed suddenly, "This'll be my first time chasing down Amy, though. I guess that stunt she pulled with Shadow's working after all!"

"Well tell me how that goes down," Silver sighed, because Sonic was just going around in circles…

* * *

Amy didn't want to suffocate Shadow with dates or anything but this wasn't really a _huge_ date. They needed to talk, that was all. She picked up the phone and called Shadow.

At this moment, Shadow was at work. Which meant he was doing something GUN related. Currently he was some way across the continent in a dive in Westopolis when his cell phone rang.

Rouge gave him an irritated look, "Didn't you turn that thing off when you came in?"

"I thought I put it on silent," Shadow replied. He pulled out the phone and saw Amy's number, "Listen, I... really should take this," he answered the phone, "Yes?" he asked, knowing that he sounded a bit short. But honestly, this was a bad time…

"Hey sorry, I don't mean to bother you at work," Amy spoke, "I know you're busy. But I wanted to know if after you're done at work… you'd meet me at the ice cream parlour by the beach. The one Silver said was good?"

Shadow frowned and glanced at Rouge, who was talking to the bartender. Still, using the phone was the perfect ruse to suggest he was just an ordinary guy, "Amy, I'm glad you called, but this is kind of exactly the wrong moment. I'm... looking for a job…"

"But you have a job, you're a-"

"Amy…" Shadow's voice tensed up. He didn't want to put down the phone because it would blow his 'cover', but her speaking risked having to say something, "Don't talk. Don't say _anything_."

Amy frowned at that, wondering what was going on…

A human had just entered the bar, "Oh, right. Here he is..." Shadow reached into his concealed holster. Still talking, he added, "Yeah, I'd love that. Love to see you there," he stood up, walking not towards the man, but just stepping around, like he was heading out the door, "Just one condition, sweetheart."

"What?"

"That you say that's where I've been all day."

Shadow pulled out his silenced gun and jammed it against the back of the man's head, then fired.

***whum***

On the other end of the phone, Amy heard the sound, but didn't really recognise it, "Shadow? Shadow, are you okay?" she asked. She froze up at the sound of a yell on the other end, "Shadow!"

"Busy!"

Amy listened to several more of those noises. Something smashed in the background, and there was more shouting, "Shadow! Shadow!" he wasn't talking. Was he okay? Was he-

"Amy, I'm fine," she could hear him breathing fast, "Job's done, but I've got a bit of… clean-up… to deal with…"

Amy breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn't sure of _exactly_ what it was Shadow did for GUN, and the noises suggested that she didn't really want to find out if she wanted their relationship to continue. And she did, she did so much… "If you're too busy, we can always put it off…"

"No, this is… the perfect time, really. I'll be there in… two hours? Yeah, that shout do it…" Shadow told her, standing over three dead bodies. Rouge had two of her own, "Just promise that you'll never, ever call me at work again."

Amy smiled, "Alright, I promise. Sorry for interrupting. I'll talk to you later then." She hung up.

Shadow sighed with relief. Then he turned to a fourth man, every ounce of feeling wiped from his face as Rouge stepped into the back room to make her calls and do some investigating, "Okay, the ladies are no longer watching," he cracked his knuckles, "Let's chat. _Man. To. Man_."

* * *

It was two hours later. Amy supposed she'd turned up a little earlier than she'd meant to, but it was ten minutes and Shadow wasn't there. She trusted him not to stand her up, but the fact that he was late after what she'd heard was a little worrying.

She made a show of inspecting a menu for the ice-creams at a table outside, under one of those umbrellas, trying to hide her concern.

"Yo! Ames!"

She looked up sharply. Sonic was grinning at her and he slipped into the chair opposite her without an invitation, "This is so new! Me, chasing after you! Talk about one for the history books! I heard the craziest news… just crazy enough to be true?!"

"Oh, um… hey, Sonic," she tried not to show her disappointment that it was him and not Shadow, being less chilly this time, but she couldn't really feel… _excited_… to see him any more, "What did you hear?"

He looked at her for a few seconds, "Some stupid stuff," he adjusted his t-shirt, "Listen, Ames…" _okay, taking a big risk here_, "We know you've been crushing on me for like, forever-"

"Ten years," she corrected him.

"-And sending Shads to do a man's work… that was pretty dumb of me. But hey, let's start over. Make it up right now."

"Oh Sonic, that's nice but… I'm already on a date…" Amy remembered what Shadow had asked her to say, "He'll be back soon, you don't need to make up for anything."

"He..?" Sonic laughed, "Amy, this is dumb. You've finally got my attention. Don't be such a baby, okay? You're 18. We can finally, actually talk about relationships without that age gap crap making people think I'm some kind of creepy pervert, and you just want me to walk away? I know you're mad, so take it out on me. I'm a big boy now, and I'm-"

"You're in my seat," a low voice growled behind him.

Sonic turned slowly, to see Shadow standing behind him. The red striped hedgehog gave him a frosty look.

Amy pursed up her lips, feeling hurt. She couldn't believe that Sonic would _laugh_ at her like that and assume that she didn't really have a date. Did he think he was the only guy in the world? She was about to say something only to be interrupted by Shadow showing up, turning her frown into a smile.

Sonic managed to turn his stare and slack jaw into a grin, "Oh, hey Shads. Uh, no, I'm not," he remained seated, "The law of the universe is 'first come first served', and let's face it, I'm the guy who gets first place, right? And it's my butt in this seat. I don't know... _what_ your deal is with getting me out and going right now, but I'm trying to have a conversation with Amy. I'm not gonna just leave. Plenty of seats around here, if beach cafes are your thing-"

"Don't be such a smartass, Faker," Shadow told him coolly, "I know why I'm here. And it's not for idle chitter-chatter with you, hard as that may be for you to believe. Let me say it once more, and for your benefit, slowly..." he gestured, "You. Are in. My. Seat."

You could cut the tension with a knife.

Amy's smile quickly faded as she realised that this wasn't going as smoothly as she thought it would. She didn't want any issues between them. After all, even if she didn't feel like idolising Sonic, she still cared about him as a friend, "Sonic, I… I really am here with Shadow..." she chimed in, aware of how tense this was.

Sonic hesitated. Then he turned to Amy, "Okay, this has gone far enough," he told her, "You win. I'm here for the talking. Joke's over..."

"Get out of my seat," Shadow told him, standing behind him.

Sonic ignored Shadow, rattling on at Amy, "Silver comes and tells me that he sees you two... canoodling... on the beach. You made a good call, getting him to see that. He told me, and I got curious, so here I am..."

"Get out of my seat."

"So here I am, accepting that you're kinda mad at me. Hey, I sent Shads to keep you company, so you two are conspiring against me like this is gonna make me mad. Out of revenge?"

"Get out of my seat."

"I mean, when did revenge ever solve anything? You're ticked. I get the point. But you don't wanna date Shads just to mess with me, Amy, because it's not gonna work..."

"Sonic!" Shadow grabbed the beach chair and with his strength, spun it around easily so that Sonic was facing him, "Get. Out. Of. My. Seat."

Sonic stood up stiffly, feeling humiliated, and Shadow moved into the seat, resting his elbows on the table and bridging his fingers as if he'd been there all along.

"You've gotta be kidding me," the blue hedgehog told the two of them.

Amy listened to what he was saying. He thought they dreamed this up to mess with him? She wouldn't do something like that. This was ridiculous, "No joke. I'm moving on, Sonic, you don't have to worry about me chasing you anymore. And the funny thing is that… well, you _did_ send Shadow in your place and that _did_ kind of kick all of this off," she explained. "I'm not mad at you, I'm just… over you," she told him genuinely. She wasn't going to let herself be mad about not being with Sonic when she could be happy about being with Shadow.

Sonic stood there, listening to her thanking him for letting her down on a date so that she could meet somebody better, and he felt like she had just taken a knife and shoved it in his gut without even knowing it, "You... forgive me?" he asked. It was like she was saying she _didn't even care_. He remembered what else Silver had said, "So I suppose the other stuff Silver said is true, huh?" he asked, and looked at Shadow, "You really were planning to go down on her. After two days of dating. You sick bastard."

"Don't tell _me_ what I plan to do with Amy, Faker," Shadow told him, but he smirked despite himself.

Sonic looked as if he was about to hit Shadow for a moment, but he managed to get himself under control. He turned to Amy, "Fine, fine. Date the recolour. And when he does something sick enough for you to come to your senses... you can come to me. Because I think of you as more than a replacement for a dead girl."

Shadow visibly bristled, and his fists clenched.

Amy's eyes widened in shock, "Sonic, that's just… that's just mean! You don't want to date me, so I'd have thought that as my friend, you'd be happy that I'm spending time with somebody else!" she frowned, "You're acting like a child. Until you can act your age and stop being such a jerk why don't you do what you do best and _run away_."

Sonic opened his mouth. He wanted to say something, but for once there were no words. She'd told him to run away. His greatest wish had become his worst nightmare. He cared about Amy, more than the 'Speed Demon' did, certainly. He'd known her for years, he knew everything about her... so what the hell was going on here? Finally he managed to turn to Shadow.

"I'm onto you, Faker," he spat. Then he sped off across the beach.

"Hmph," Shadow watched him leave, "As usual, he runs from his problems, rather than facing them like a _man_." he turned to Amy, and his glare vanished as he realised that he was alone with a woman – even if it was Amy. He fidgeted in the seat a little, "I am… uh… sorry I was late."

Amy just smiled "It's alright. I'm glad you came... I suppose it's been a bit tense but don't worry, nothing some ice-cream can't fix." she brightened up, hoping she could lighten the mood.

"I apologise for the circumstances of this date, of course," Shadow added, "Working for GUN is often... complicated. I doubt us being together will make it less complicated. All things considered; I'd understand perfectly if you don't want to date somebody whose job description consists entirely of the word 'classified'." He still had his handgun in the concealed holster in his pants, "You… look lovely, by the way," he added, "If I was gay, you'd turn me straight. But I'm not." He mentally groaned, his cheeks turning pink. Sonic was right about one thing – Shadow was _terrible_ at talking to girls, at least outside of crisis situations.

Amy chuckled at the compliment crossed with a bad line, "That's cute, Shadow. Now, what do you want to get?" She didn't want to think about his job. She didn't want to know anything about what he did, partly because she already suspected.

"To be honest I've never actually eaten ice-cream on the beach before," Shadow mulled it over, "I think I'll try strawberry." He really wasn't bothered. After all, he wasn't here for the ice-cream. He was here for Amy, "Three dates in three days. Well, two, really. Being a stand-in for Sonic still doesn't count to me," he paused, "Listen, about yesterday... if this is all moving too fast for you, I can slow down."

Amy nodded, but she knew what she wanted. "It's fine. I don't feel like it is. I'd tell you if I felt that way but I don't. I feel comfortable with you. It was… exciting." Just thinking about the way they'd kissed and touched… sent hot shivers down her spine.

"I feel that way too," Shadow sighed, "It's just that I know all about too much happening too quickly. I don't exactly want to rush all the way through the dating and end up at the divorce," his lips twitched, indicating a joke.

Amy's eyes widened. Sonic liked things to go fast. He'd hate a date at a quiet, fancy underwater restaurant – he'd feel like he was drowning. He wouldn't like to slow-dance either – Shadow didn't know how, but he'd been willing to _learn_, and he'd enjoyed it – with her, anyway. Sonic would loathe the idea of a slow beach picnic, or wading into deep water to chase her as a game. He'd rather watch the pop and fizzle of artificial fireworks than talk until the moon was mirrored in the sea. And Sonic wouldn't exactly jump at a nice chat at an ice-cream cafe. He'd stay about as long as it took for the ice-cream to melt and then rush to a chili-dog stand.

It made sense in a way. Sonic chose to help people, and that was a _good_ thing, but it was still his _choice_. Shadow's life had been filled with danger. He'd been born as a slave on a metal city. He wasn't naturally faster than Sonic; his jet shoes and Chaos Control gave him that boost. He was made for destruction and survival. He had felt the dark chill of space and crashed onto Earth. He had lost his precious Maria and his creator Gerald to impulsive heroics and speed and violence. Why would he indulge in such thrills for _fun_?

Shadow could speed up, but he wanted to be able to slow down as well. He wanted to craft lasting memories, and understand gentleness, and he craved regularity in his life, just like he craved the setting sun to be followed by the rising moon.

When Shadow kissed and touched, sure, he could get a little rough, but it was a roughness that was ready for _anything_. Nothing she did could hurt him, because he had been hurt so many times. But most of all, it _lasted_. Just like the simmering fires in his eyes.

Amy looked away, because suddenly thinking about the reasons they were perfect for each other hurt her heart.

"Rose?" Shadow leaned forwards, his burning eyes troubled, "Are you okay?"

Amy sniffed, "I'm fine, Shadow," she wiped her eyes and looked back at him, taking his hand, "I feel like our pace is just fine. We've known each other for years. Maybe we can even move a little faster than strangers would."

"First you were chasing Sonic to get him to slow down with you... and now you're sitting here with me, in a rush for things to move ahead. How people change…" Shadow laughed dryly, then leaned forwards and played with one of Amy's quills, "But I'm not going to run away just because things don't move fast enough for me, Rose…"

Relief washed over Amy. She'd wanted to move too quickly for Sonic… or was it too slowly for him? But with Shadow, it didn't matter, because he could do both. And then, unexpectedly, he took her cheek and kissed her passionately over the table. She meant to say something but closed her eyes and kissed him in return.

This time though, the kiss had an additional purpose. Partly because Shadow wanted to know exactly what Amy would do if he kissed her without the prolonged lead-up that made him so _hot_. But this time, mostly because about a hundred yards behind Amy, he could see Sonic standing there, fuming in his jealousy. Shadow couldn't help himself. Still kissing Amy and stroking her cheek gently with a thumb so that she wouldn't turn away, he cast a victorious smirk at his rival. And he didn't stop until Sonic turned and walked away, boiling with anger.

He broke the kiss, "I'm not going to leave you, Rose," he reassured her honestly, "You're young, and I am ageless. I maintain my opinion that you could be making a terrible mistake. And as for myself, I hardly want you to consider me a _substitute _for Sonic, even subconsciously. I'm not Sonic. I can't ever be him."

Amy's lips were tingling from the unexpected kiss. She, of course, had no idea Sonic had been watching. "That's not who you are," she agreed, "You're… you. I like you this way."

"I'm sure," Shadow replied cryptically, and his face remained entirely neutral, concealing whether he was serious, joking, sarcastic or amused. After a few seconds though, he drew Amy in for another kiss, and this time it was genuine. Far more passionate.

And it lasted longer.

* * *

Breech: Oh, for pity's sake! More reviews!


	4. Are You Feeling Safe Yet?

Love In The Fast Lane

By Breech Loader and The Pinkest Flower

* * *

Breech: Wow, it's been like, forever. I kept starting things and not getting very far, plus I had actual important stuff to do that also involved writing. Really important, really. Part of it involved a KnuxAmy comic, part of it involves writing my first book.

God, there's a lot of sex in this chapter.

* * *

Chapter Four: Are You Feeling Safe Yet?

It was more than a week later and Sonic felt like the entire world had gone crazy.

Somebody must have seen Shadow and Amy making out at some point - and considering the way Shadow was not exactly covering this up, it wasn't hard to believe - but somebody had caught a snapshot of Amy and Shadow at the park with their tongues down each other's throats, and now pretty much everybody knew he'd been upstaged by the Angstiest Thing Alive. Okay, so he'd held off on pursuing Amy. That didn't mean he didn't care. In fact it meant he cared more, because unlike Shadow, he didn't want to move in on her the moment she was ready. Sure, so Shadow and Amy had known each other for about six years now. That didn't give Blackie a free ticket to just be putting his hands all over her! And now everybody knew, and they were coming to him to confirm it and it was like a knife in the gut to have to say that yes, he'd seen Shadow smirking at him as he kissed Amy...

That was the other thing. Why choose Shadow? Amy _knew_ Shadow worked for GUN. Eggman wasn't always attacking the world - he generally took about six months cooldown after each crazed scheme. Didn't she even realise what Shadow did? He wasn't like Rouge, who usually gathered information. He was one of GUN's black operatives. He went out there and he actually killed people for GUN. Sonic had never killed anybody in his life, and had never really wanted to. Not even Eggman. It put Amy in all the more danger to be dating somebody who pissed off huge drug cartels and slavery rings on a daily basis. Plus he was out of his mind. He could snap a guy's neck with one hand. What was so damn attractive about that? She was obviously too pure and innocent to understand.

So if it wasn't really Amy's fault, it had to be Shadow's. Sonic remembered that smirk. He'd seen an opportunity, and he'd taken it, like he usually did. He was doing this to prove he was better than Sonic. That he could have the things that belonged to him. Sonic imagined Shadow going after Tails next, to try and teach him the meaning of life, according to Shadow, which generally involved killing people until they stopped being a problem any more, and it made him even angrier. Shadow was using Amy to get at Sonic. It didn't help to know that it was working. Once he'd finished with Amy, once he'd stolen her innocence and taken away her purity and ripped into her like wrapping paper, he'd throw her aside and let Sonic have his 'sloppy seconds'. Amy felt things so deeply. Shadow was too cold to realise that. Or too sick to care. The way he was tricking her into thinking he loved her... it was disgusting. He had to be stopped, but things were moving so fast. Sonic didn't know how much time he had left before the dark hedgehog made his move, and destroyed her forever.

It was terrible. He'd assumed Amy would wait for him. And sure, he hadn't really been ready for the relationship she'd wanted - seriously, she wanted to marry and have babies at 12? He wasn't a pervert, he wanted to keep her safe. That was why he hung around, and put off other guys. But Shadow wasn't put off by his looks or speed or reputation, because Shadow had all of that too, if in a different way. But Sonic hadn't been ready, but he would be, he absolutely would be one day... in the meantime he could just protect her, right?

He had to save Amy. He had to talk to her properly, or show her what Shadow was like, or make he remember how great she was. He just wasn't sure how much time he had left, because wow, Shadow was really moving fast. Sonic had a sudden mental image of Shadow pulling off Amy's clothes and pushing her down and bedding her roughly, and making her think that was love. It made him feel sick to his stomach. Okay, but he had an idea. They'd actually beaten Eggman again this week. Okay, technically he and Silver had done it. They always had a party afterwards though, all of them. Silver would be returning to the future soon now, to find out what had changed, although knowing Silver, he'd come back again if he could keep somebody from stubbing their toe in the future. Everybody always came. So he could absolutely use this chance to get Amy alone, talk to her properly. Shadow was at a total dead loss in social situations. He'd hover at the buffet, feeding his metabolism, or hide behind Rouge, or sometimes he might talk to Knuckles, at least if Rouge wasn't hitting on Knuckles, probably because they were both terrible conversationalists. They had no idea of how to have fun. Amy had only been one-on-one with Shadow. She needed to see what he was really like. Under pressure.

Yeah, and then Amy would come running back to him, and this time he'd absolutely, totally greet her with open arms. She might cry a bit, but he'd always be her friend, and then he'd work out this relationship thing, and they'd move on and everything would be back to the way it should be and the world would make sense again.

Yeah. That would absolutely work.

* * *

Amy liked going to parties, since it was the best time she could see her friends all at once. She almost wore something adorable, like she always did for Sonic… but then she remembered she didn't feel the need to see Sonic. She would see Shadow there, and he liked things to be a little more… grown up.

So she had dressed in a black and white shirt and skirt that was maybe… a little more low cut than usual…

As she stepped out of the car, she wasn't really looking forward to seeing Sonic after how he had behaved towards Shadow but she planned to focus on the party. She didn't need to hang on his every word any more. He probably wouldn't even want to talk to her anyway, now. After reassuring herself she knocked on the door.

The door swung open, and most of the party was going on outside in the back, so Amy just walked through. Shadow was already there, at the buffet and talking to Knuckles. The echidna seemed to be asking about Amy. Shadow was being vague.

Silver and Blaze talked in the corner, and so was Tails, and the Chaotix trying to keep Charmee away from the punch for some reason.

But the moment Amy walked in, Sonic homed in on her.

"Ames! It's great to see you so soon!" He spoke fast, "Y'know, I was kind of a jerk when we last spoke... Let's put it behind us, huh? You look great," he added.

So much for avoiding him… "Hey, Sonic. I guess we can, and thanks..." She didn't want to stay mad at her friend but she still hadn't expected him to rush up to her this time. This was one of the few times that Sonic had given Amy his full, undivided attention. It was strange, how things had reversed.

"Yeah, so we beat Eggface, hopefully Silver's got a good future to go back to this time..." Sonic smiled, "We might have six months between schemes! And I swear... You really have grown up. The first one of us, I think." He shifted around slightly, blocking the line of sight between Amy and Shadow.

"Yeah, hopefully," Amy wasn't sure. Silver would probably come back, although you could never tell when or how old he'd be – but from the way he was schmoozing up to Blaze, quite soon and a similar age, "And you think so?" For the first time Amy didn't want so much of Sonic's attention, "Well, I think I'll go get some punch." She said after a moment.

"Oh, come on, Ames," Sonic laughed, "You're a good girl... Good girls don't drink punch - not at any party Vector goes to, anyway. And honestly, I like good girls better..."

His desperation for Amy's attention showed clearly - Sonic had never been the subtle type.

Thanks to him, and whatever petty discussion Shadow and Knuckles seemed to be having over what was better, Chaos Emeralds or the Master Emerald, Shadow hadn't noticed that Amy had arrived yet.

"Well uh...I guess so..." Despite his need for her attention, she didn't really know what to say to him for once. Oh, how the world turned. There was an awkward silence for a moment.

"Ames," Sonic's voice cracked slightly, "I know I've been kind of a jerk lately, but no matter what, you know I want the best for you..." he put a hand on her shoulder, "All I want, is for you to be safe."

Amy smiled slightly. She _knew_ he cared, "Sonic, could you please try to calm down? I mean normally that's what you're all about but you've been acting weird lately…" She felt certain of why he was agitated, but still…

"It... It's Shadow, okay?" Sonic sighed, "I just don't think he wants what's best for you. He's one of the good guys, but he's not really A good guy... Try to think straight - he's not safe. And that means the people around him aren't safe."

"I really like Shadow though. Being with him makes me happy and nothing has gone wrong so far... he's not a bad person..." Amy found it simmeringly irritating to be told of Shadow's dangerous nature. So he was a threat. She trusted him!

"Things don't go away just because you ignore them, Amy... I should know," Sonic poked her in the chest gently, "Like your feelings for me. Or..." he looked away awkwardly, "My feelings for you..." he murmured. His hand tightened on her shoulder slightly as he tried to steer her away from the main group.

Amy hesitated. The first statement was true but the comparisons he tried to make made this especially awkward - considering her feelings for him had gone away – mostly because he'd ignored them. But why did he now talk about his feelings for her? She had the urge to roll her eyes but fought it. He had never shown his affections before. She brushed his hand off lightly, "Maybe they don't go away. But they still change..."

"Oh, c'mon!" Sonic almost whined. He had to keep her safe from Shadow somehow, "It's not my fault, I couldn't exactly encourage you back then... And all this over one little skipped date? I want to hear it from you, Ames. None of the 'He's a tortured soul' crap. What's Shadow's actual good qualities?"

"He's exciting, he's rational, he's thoughtful, he's mature, he's enticing and as secretive as he is, he opens up to me. He makes me feel special. I could really go on." Amy voiced her genuine reasons to like him.

Sonic gritted his teeth. He should have known that she would be able to find good things to say about Shadow. She was too nice not to. He took her shoulder again, "He's not _safe_. He's depressed and angry and obsessive-"

"Who's obsessive?" a low voice growled to one side. Shadow stood there, holding a plastic punch cup, with a sour look on his face as he studied Sonic's hand on Amy.

Sonic took a breath. A confrontation with Shadow. Great. He'd hoped this could be put off. "You. You're obsessive. Over dead people. You never let anything go."

"I could say something about people letting things go right now, Sonic," Shadow retorted, still looking at the hand he had on Amy's shoulder.

Things got so tense when the two interacted. Amy could tell that Sonic's hand being on her shoulder was bothering Shadow, so she brushed his hand off again. She tried to change the focus, "Hey Shadow. How are you?" she moved to stand next to him.

Shadow didn't take his eyes off Sonic. A very dangerous vibe hung in the air right now, "I'm absolutely fine," he stated. Then he put his arm around Amy's shoulders and pulled her close in a protective manner... that also managed to feel very possessive, "Do you have a problem with me feeling fine, Sonic?" he asked the blue hedgehog.

"No," Sonic shook his head after a moment, "As long as you keep it that way."

"Hmph," Shadow eased Amy away from Sonic. his arm still around her shoulders, but loosening a little now. He definitely didn't like the way Sonic had been acting, and wished he'd noticed sooner, "Are you okay, Amy?" he asked her, his low voice becoming almost gentle.

Amy stood close to Shadow in his possessive hold. She was glad to walk away with Shadow, not wanting anything bad to happen during this party or ever really, "Yeah, I'm alright. Are you?" She could tell that he was getting upset and wanted to make sure he was good now.

"Hmmm..." Shadow's eyes cast down as he thought about it. Sonic was obviously a jerk... but even if he had secretly harboured a desire for Amy after all these years of running away, he shouldn't be acting _that_ way. He looked back to the pink hedgehog he had come to value more and more highly in just a week of them dating, "The important thing is that you're okay," he told her calmly.

* * *

A few hours had passed. Vector indeed must have put something in the punch, considering the way Silver was behaving around Blaze and Knuckles was actually responding to Rouge's flirtations. And after the initial confrontation, everybody seemed to have loosened up. Shadow's mood had switched from 'sour' to 'mildly amused' and Espio was still drinking water.

Shadow looked sideways at Amy, while offering her a punch-glass, "Do you... want to try something?" he asked playfully, "Just... something new," he added, "Not in front of everybody."

Amy could also tell that punch had been spiked. She was watching everyone as she chuckled a bit, the party had a much lighter mood now she smiled a bit as the punch glass was offered to her. She drank some, "Sure. What is it?"

"Well... come on," Shadow took her hand and led her away from the party, into Sonic's house. Several people saw them leave together, and he didn't give a crap.

The empty bedroom he brought her to was actually Sonic's - not that Shadow cared much. He took a deep breath, and then kissed Amy softly, "This is... complicated," he told her, "I kept thinking, how do I do this, tactfully? And I know I can't. But I have to give it a damn good shot because... because I have to, if I don't want to hurt you, and frankly I never want to hurt you, ever."

He held her cheeks and kissed her again, deeper and more passionately, pressing his tongue between her lips slowly as he brushed his fingers through her quills lightly.

"And I want you to feel safe," he told her gently.

Amy sucked in a breath at the kiss. Then she placed the empty punch glass on the dresser and pressed her lips to his again, her lips sweet from the punch. His tongue roamed in her mouth, tasting her, _almost_ gentle, but with the promise of something far more heating her cheeks up. Finally it broke, "Of course I feel safe, Shadow. I wouldn't be in here with you if I didn't."

"Well, you've gone many places you knew it wasn't safe, on purpose," Shadow chuckled, "But that was always out of bravery, not foolishness," He kissed her again, passionately, while walking them over to the blue-sheeted bed and sitting them down, breathing in Amy's scent, tasting that sweetness and feeling the texture of her lips and her mouth while running his hands up and down her sides, his fingers pressing into her hard. As he'd known would happen, the muscle between his thighs stirred, becoming hard, causing that bulge to grow in his pants again, and he felt it twitching eagerly.

"I want you to feel safe… with me," he repeated.

Amy kissed him back as they sat down, moving her lips against his firmly as she enjoyed the sensation brought to bed by the feeling of his fingers pressing into her sides, "I do," she told him softly, even as she saw the bulge in his pants grow.

Shadow removed her right glove, and ran his mouth and tongue over each of her fingers, sucking gently. She shuddered a bit from the pleasant but foreign feeling of her fingers being licked and sucked, making her blush a little.

Shadow brushed her quills aside and laid his lips on her neck, "You don't have to do this with me... or now," he told her, "But you'll have to do it sometime with somebody - well, you _don't_, but I'd be surprised if somebody as beautiful as you didn't. So..." He took her hand and rubbed it over the bulge in his pants, on top of the cloth. They'd done a lot of touching this past week, but Amy's hand had never actually moved _there_ before. He let out a soft breath of pleasure as he pressed her hand there for a moment, and then let go.

Amy's eyes widened as he rubbed her hand against his bulge. She blushed a bit more but she didn't try to pull away. When he let go of her, she started to rub gently through his clothes. "It's fine Shadow..."

Shadow kissed her neck again lightly and moved them to kneel on the bed, facing each other. He knew she was so new to all of this; she was so excited and naive. He could see it in the way her cheeks burned pink and the way she shivered at even light touches. And he didn't want her to feel uncomfortable around him, ever. He undid his fly, showing how large and hard his bulge was through his white underwear, and slipped her fingers into his waistband, encouraging her to slide her hand deeper.

"I won't take you any place you don't want to go, Amy," he promised her, his right hand rubbing her side firmly and a little roughly, but still leaving room for her to breathe, "It's all safe..." He licked her neck slowly, then kissed it.

Amy felt the erection, her fingers trembling with excitement. His bulge swelled up and she nodded a bit. She loved how reassuring he was. She slowly moved her hand deeper into his underwear until her fingers brushed against his hard cock and the strange new texture. She shivered, flustered, but rubbed at it gently, wanting to know how it felt in her hand.

Shadow moaned as she handled his erection and made it harder, waiting for her to get comfortable with holding it. After almost a minute, he pulled off his gloves and moved his hands over her bare shoulders, skin against skin, digging in hard while suckling lightly on her neck. Amy's hands were nimble and warm, her touches making him tremble... "This... It's good, you're doing good," he purred in her ear, "You're safe with me, I promise..." He licked her ear slowly.

"Oh… oh, Shadow…" she tilted her head, her eyes closing, "I… I know…"

Hands shaking slightly, he unzipped his jacket and dropped it on the floor, putting his hard upper body on display for Amy, his fur slick with sweat. He breathed in deeply several times, teeth slightly gritted, and arched backwards slightly for her to see, his fingers knotted in the sheets tightly, "Don't worry... about me, Amy..." he told her, "Whatever you want from me tonight, I will gladly give you..."

Amy moaned as she felt his fingers digging into her shoulders and his lips on her neck. She enjoyed the feeling as she rubbed his cock, nodding a little, feeling a bit more confident about this. Her eyes moved to his muscled and sweaty chest. Once she'd thought he was handsome because he looked like Sonic… and this was different. He looked _hot_. Sexy. She pulled his pants down some more before lowering his underwear more to free his cock completely. Her cheeks burned as she got a full look at it. She once again grabbed it gently but this time she started to pump it, moving her hand up and down his shaft, both nervous and excited.

Shadow gritted his teeth, breathing hard as Amy moved her soft hand, his hips bucking slowly. She was still a beginner but he didn't want to give her tips tonight, because damn, he already felt the feral urge boiling in his veins to just shove her on her back. And he could make a girl feel good by going rough - well, he knew how to make Rouge feel good. Maybe that was why he wanted to go slow with Amy - the two women were so very different. He leaned forwards and unbuttoned her shirt slowly, parting it to show her bra. Then he lifted up her skirt to above her hips, to see the underwear she had chosen.

Amy felt that cock twitching, getting hotter and harder even as he removed her clothing a little at a time, and he fingered her pink panties with white lace on the edges and the matching bra. She now wished she'd worn something sexier, but it didn't trouble him too much.

"Oooh, cute..." Shadow half grinned, still trying to breathe steady as his hips jerked in time with Amy's touch, "Oh yes..." he took her free hand and pushed it up into his quills so that she had something else to tug on - he had a feeling he'd need her to. Then he leaned forwards, reaching around her back and unhooking her bra. His cheeks were so hot and he was sweating as he kissed her neck deeply, leaving her lips free so that she could talk or breathe or ask questions, "You're safe, I swear," he promised her softly, leaning his head on her shoulder, his breathing heavy and hot on her neck as he inhaled her deep, rosy scent. It sent a thrill straight through him, "It's okay," he ran his hand up her smooth inner thigh, squeezing firmly, "It's okay unless you say it's not okay..." He slipped one finger into her knickers, and ran it along her slit gently, "Is that okay with you?"

Amy gripped his quills tightly. She shuddered from the feeling of his breath on her neck, enjoying how close he was. His hand in her panties brought wetness to her, coating his finger as her slit was rubbed. She nodded a little, "Yes… yes," she whispered, running her thumb over his tip. No one had ever touched her there and it felt so _good_, she wanted him to keep going.

"Hngh!" Shadow gritted his teeth as Amy stroked the tip of his cock, and a little pre-cum leaked out. A shudder ran through him. By Chaos, he wanted to be fucking her so much right now... the feral part of him wanted to hear her scream and cry, and tear her in half like the wrapping paper on a present. But he could not do that to her, even with the slick sweat of their skins pressed together and their scents mingling… "I've never... touched... a virgin before," it sounded like an apology, "This will feel... strange. It might even hurt a little," he pulled his finger away and licked it slowly, "But don't be afraid; I'm right here..."

He slid his wet finger back into her panties and eased them down to her knees. Then, still holding her close, he pressed it in slowly and deliberately, past the slit, up the canal, all the way in. When he was already so aroused, to feel those soft, moist walls around just his finger was making him twitch and whine and pant like a dog, shaking so desperately against her. She felt so pure, and virgin, and _tight_.

Amy shivered a little as he reminded her that it would be fine again. She meant to stay still as she felt his finger going in, but cried out at the touch, a shock running through her, writhing frantically against him, "Oh! Oh Shadow!" Her pussy had never been stretched before and she jerked as his finger slid inside her.

Shadow held on to her tightly, "It's okay, it's okay until you say it's not okay," he told her, his lips kissing at her bosom. Every little noise she made was getting him hotter and harder.

"Shadow… Shadow…" she relaxed again, "Yes… It… it's okay…"

"See? That wasn't so scary..." he panted softly as he held her close and she grew wetter. Now the 'lesson' became something much more sensual as he swirled that one finger around deep inside her, then bent it slightly, "And do you know what the best part is?" his voice rasped with his want for her, and his thumb began to rub gently at her increasingly sensitive clit.

Amy moaned from the feeling of his finger inside of her burning pussy, full of sensitive nerves. When his thumb moved to her clit, she got even wetter, pumping her hand up and down his shaft, "What's the best part?" she gasped.

"The best part... is falling in love..." Shadow purred in her ear. He gasped out as she rubbed his shaft again, deeply flushed, twisting in his desire for her, "Amy, I don't want to hurt you!" he moved his one finger faster, then added a second, stretching her more, "I wanna make you moan... so pull on my quills, bitch!" He choked, wishing he hadn't used that word, but damn, if something didn't sate his lust really soon he was going to slam her back and rip into her... "PLEASE!"

Amy groaned, feeling a kind of pain with the new stretch. She could tell that he was losing control. It scared her a little but also aroused her at the same time. To know that he was getting this way because of _her_ really turned her on, and she pulled on his quills like he'd taught her on the beach.

"AUGH!" Shadow arched as the pain hit the pleasure. His hand around her back gripped her harder and his nails dug in. He curled both fingers inside her, and pulled slowly on her vag, "You're so good at that... I have to teach you how to hurt me more..." he panted, "Oh Chaos, Amy... Anything you want... Anything at all..." His body shone with sweat, desperate for her, in control and her slave both at once.

Amy's grip tightened on his quills as she moaned in aroused pain thanks to his nails digging into her skin and him tugging on her pussy, her cheeks red as she looked into his lustful eyes, "Shadow... I've made up my mind… I want to go all the way!" Her pussy dripped, slick with arousal as she writhed against him.

"Here? Now?" Shadow laughed despite himself. Right here. Right now. On Sonic's bed. The bed of his rival and her former love.

He wasn't sure what turned him on more; making love to Amy, or the thought of spilling seed all over Sonic's own bed while making love to Amy. Because with her, he wanted this to be love, "My Rose... it would be my pleasure!" He moved closer again and kissed her passionately, still thrusting two fingers in and out of her, his tongue in her mouth, but just took a moment to gaze into her eyes, stilling them both for a few seconds, sliding his fingers out and leaving her empty, "But... you can only have one first time... And it will hurt... Are you... sure?"

Amy nodded, confirming, and kissed him back deeply while moaning into the kiss. They gazed into each other's eyes, and she moved her hand faster on his cock. "Yes, Shadow. I want my first time to be with _you_."

"Then... you shall have me," he panted.

He pushed her onto her back slowly, lifting her skirt, pulling her panties all the way off and dropping them on the floor. Then he pushed up her unhooked bra, showing her soft, beautiful breasts, taking them in both hands and rubbing firmly, his thumbs on her nipples.

"Shadow…" Amy moaned, arching, breathing hard as he leaned forward and sucked gently on one of them, "Oh, yes…"

Shadow pushed his trousers and underpants down to his knees. Neither of them was fully undressed and it made the act more spontaneous… and a bit more dirty, "The safe word is 'stop'," he told her seriously, his thick cock hovering at her soft, soaking pussy. Then he started to press it in, moaning loud.

"Ah… Ah…" Amy squeezed her eyes shut. It was nothing like two fingers. It _hurt_. But she didn't want him to stop. Shadow kept on pressing it in, stretching her in a kind of pain she'd never felt before. Like she was being slowly but surely torn in half, "Oh… Oh please!"

Sweat poured down Shadow's brow. He'd never been with a virgin before. It was tight in there, like a furnace around his cock, "Prepare… to bloom… my rose…"

He could feel the final resistance in there… the choke point. She didn't tell him to stop. And he didn't want them to be interrupted. So he leant forward and captured her lips in a deep, adoring kiss, half a second before he made that final push.

She kicked and jerked and clutched at his chest fur. It hurt, oh god it hurt… that moment of pain, and she wanted to scream at him for not letting her know how much it could hurt… Any barriers she'd had were broken, any virginal blood spilled… and then her tight pussy stretched and moulded around his cock, and they fit together perfectly.

He broke the kiss, looking into her emerald green eyes as they beaded up with tears, holding himself still for her sake, "Does it hurt?" he asked her softly, his fiery eyes smouldering with lust, desiring only her.

"Uh-huh," she nodded.

"Are you scared?" he purred, stroking her side tenderly.

She nodded again, tears in her eyes, "A little…"

He leant in close, his cock shifting inside her as he moved, his lips brushing against hers as he whispered in her ear, "Do you want _more?_"

Amy flushed deeply, oh so deeply… and nodded, "Oh… Oh please… I _do_ want more…" she ground against him and whimpered, "This… this can't… can't possibly be… all there is…"

"Then say my name," Shadow trembled on top of her, "And tonight I'll be your slave…"

"Shadow…" Amy told him, her voice shaky but needful, "Shadow!"

Shadow pulled a little way out, seeing the stain of red on his cock. Then he began to thrust – each one powerful and all the way to the hilt, "Again…" he told her huskily, the sweat making his fur slick against her, "Oh Chaos, sweet Rose… _please_…"

"Augh! Shadow!" she cried out louder, her walls clenching, her hips rising. Loud enough that the best part of the house could likely hear what was going on.

Shadow panted with each thrust, trying to keep eye contact but falling into the ancient, blissful rhythm as he rolled his hips, searching for her personal spot, that special place that would make her cry out for all he had… "Oh, my Rose… by Chaos…"

Amy couldn't help but enjoy this rough, powerful experience. She'd thought lovemaking _had_ to be gentle but… this was equal parts pleasure and pain, just as Shadow was equally her master and her slave. She gasped for breath, her cheeks dark pink as she wound her fingers in his chest fur, tugging with each thrust. And then, almost by accident, his thrusting cock rubbed and pressed to something so very sensitive that she couldn't help but cry out for it, "Ah! Yes! There!"

Shadow grinned wickedly, pausing his thrusts for a few moments, leaning to one side to snatch up Sonic's pillow, tucking it under Amy's hips and raising them a little. So, he'd pleased her? He'd be happy to do so again, and again. He took the angle she moaned for, and kept going, even as he called her name louder, even louder than the music.

Amy kept letting out cries, louder still as he kept going at that angle. It felt amazing, it was the most physical pleasure she had ever felt. The pillow raising her hips to a new angle only added to her comfort and she was enjoying this too much to care _whose_ pillow.

Soon, Shadow had ceased to care about anything other than serving Amy. Still thrusting, he took hold of her breasts and kneaded them gently in time to every press into her. He didn't take her mouth for the sole reason that he was crying out her name, over and over, but that didn't keep him from running his wet tongue all the way up her flat stomach.

Amy could feel a knot twisting up… no, a _spring_ coiling inside. It was a whole new feeling, and her fingers tightened all the more in Shadow's chest fur, "Oh… oh Shadow…" her walls pulsed around his cock, "What… what's happening? I… I…" she gritted her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut.

Shadow felt her wetter and hotter than ever, and he struggled to keep from climaxing early, "Yes, my Rose... Can you feel it?" his breath rasped, "It's coming... It's never going to stop..." he shuddered in passion, "You... want mine in or out... Choose fast..."

"O-Out," she managed urgently as his cock throbbed inside her. And then she orgasmed around him with a cry, almost a _scream_ of pure arousal.

Shadow dragged his cock out just in time, stained with red and dripping, and the friction meant he came over Amy's pussy and the pillow and sheets with a groan of relief and pleasure, his chest heaving as he arched, "You feel it... I feel it... it's good, it's great, it's perfect..." He looked down, trembling, and then ran two fingers through the mess there, licking it slowly so that she could see even through her orgasmic haze.

Amy panted, limp and helpless under him. Her cheeks darkened as she watched him lick their mixed cum off his fingers. After a few minutes, she caught her breath and sat up, kissing him, tasting a little of it on his tongue. Shadow moaned, her sitting up putting more delightful pressure on his cock. With his arms around her back, he held the kiss for a long time, rolling his tongue around her mouth slowly.

"Shadow… that felt amazing," Amy arched slowly, and his wet cock rubbed gently against her slit.

"I'm glad we agree," he rubbed her breasts tenderly. Given five minutes, he could quite happily have rolled over and gone for another round with her, but this was her first time... and he wanted her to savour it so that he could _improve_ on it, "I'm honoured you bloomed first for me, my Rose," he bomped his nose against hers, "And I find myself wanting to be your only. As long as you want me for," he added.

"Shadow… I couldn't want any less," she smiled.

They kissed again, with Shadow stroking her lovingly, bringing her down from the orgasmic high with gentle caresses and slow kisses.

And yet he had the aching, gnawing feeling he'd done something terrible to her.

* * *

The sheer, brazen arrogance of it actually made Sonic's head hurt. For Shadow and Amy to just wander off and make out... oh, that would have been bad. But the noise was the worst part. Tails had actually looked at Sonic and asked if Shadow was hurting Amy. And he'd been torn for his answer. A red-cheeked Espio had told him it was a bad idea to go and check but he had anyway, and still wished he hadn't because... it would have been bad enough on the carpet or in the bathroom or up against a wall, but in Sonic's bedroom, on his own bed? Both half-dressed like it was some kind of thing Shadow had just thought up? He'd never even imagined the dark hedgehog could sink that low. They hadn't even noticed him in his passing. Shadow had been way too busy seducing Amy into thinking she actually wanted him.

He had actually done it. He'd torn away whatever remained of Amy's virginity and dumped its blood, sweat and cum on Sonic's bedsheets. Loudly. Basically tricked her into thinking it was okay. Sonic had looked around for some solidarity, for somebody to actually back him up but nobody had said a word about the train-wreck of noise. They'd actually turned the music up twice. The only thing that came even close was a funny, tight look on Rouge's face as she returned to the punch bowl, but even she hadn't headed off to stop them.

It was intolerable.

* * *

Breech: Oh wow, _has_ Shadow done something terrible? Well, it is Shadow… And as for Sonic, having to hear Shads and Amy on his bed; that's not going to go down well. Life could get complicated…


End file.
